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- Dead Sea scrolls (3)
The International Qumran project conducted at the BAM Federal Institute for Materials Research and Testing in 2007–10 aimed at establishing an optimal methodology for an accurate characterization of the Dead Sea Scrolls to address such questions as archaeological provenance, origin, and attribution of fragments to a specific sheet (Rabin 2013). Using equipment of various degrees of complexity we have shown that part of the historic information stored in the material can be revealed by proper characterization of the material. The on-site investigation of the Dead Sea Scrolls fragments from The Schøyen Collection in October 2012 offered the first chance to test this methodology in a field study. For the first time, we used mobile and non-invasive technology exclusively, since we could not transport all of our laboratory equipment to Norway for this project. Moreover, besides the technical limitations dictated by the available equipment, we had to cope with limited time: it was impossible to perform the number of scans required for optimal characterization of over 30 fragments within the fourteen days available. Nevertheless this study presents an important step in the material analysis of the Dead Sea Scrolls, since the devices we used are easily transportable, well known, and easily accessible throughout the world.
We have obtained a minute amount of dry ink scratched from the bronze inkwell MS 1655/2. The powder was stored between two glass slides to minimize contamination. For micro analysis by FTIR a sample of the ink powder was transferred into a diamond cell while for confocal Raman spectroscopy a micro sample was placed onto sticky tape. The same portion of the sample was also investigated by scanning electron microscopy, where the elements distribution was determined by EDX.
The aim of our work was to check whether the assumption that the jar was discovered in Qumran can be substantiated. In order to establish the archaeological provenance of the jar we conducted a series of analytical tests on samples of material collected from the jar in April and June 2009. The samples were either found loose within the jar, these being probably constituted by remnants of its original contents, or were clay detached from the inner and outer surface of the jar. In addition, a portion of sand deposit coating the inside of the jar handles was analysed.