The write stuff: new analysis on Dead Sea Scrolls sheds light on the scribes behind them
Researchers have used artificial intelligence and other advanced methods to examine the ancient writing.
Written over 2,000 years ago, the Dead Sea Scrolls bear the earliest known manuscripts of the Hebrew Bible, but details about the scribes who made them have remained elusive.
Now, researchers have discovered that more than one scribe could work on a scroll, providing a rare insight into the lives of
The Art Newspaper
April 21, 2021
© Israel Museum, Jerusalem, by David Harris
the individuals behind these important documents.The study, published in the journal Plos One, reveals that two scribes wrote the text of the Great Isaiah Scroll, which is more than seven metres long and bears the earliest known copy of the Book of Isaiah, spread across 54 columns of Hebrew text.
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