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Unilateral and solid-state nuclear magnetic resonance
(NMR) analyses were performed on a parchment
fragment of the Dead Sea Scroll (DSS). The analyzed
sample belongs to the collection of non-inscribed and
nontreated fragments of known archaeological provenance
from the John Rylands University Library in Manchester.
Therefore, it can be considered as original DSS material
free from any contamination related to the post-discovery
period. Considering the paramount significance of the DSS,
noninvasive approaches and portable in situ nondestructive
methods are of fundamental importance for the determination
of composition, structure, and chemicalphysical
properties of the materials under study. NMR studies
reveal low amounts of water content associated with
very short proton relaxation times, T1, indicating a high
level of deterioration of collagen molecules within scroll
fragments. In addition, 13C cross-polarization magicangle-
spinning (CPMAS) NMR spectroscopy shows characteristic
peaks of lipids whose presence we attribute to
the production technology that did not involve liming.
Extraction with chloroform led to the reduction of both
lipid and protein signals in the 13C CPMAS spectrum
indicating probable involvement of lipids in parchment
degradation processes. NMR absorption and relaxation
measurements provide nondestructive, discriminative, and
sensitive tools for studying the deterioration effects on the
organization and properties of water and collagen within
ancient manuscripts.
The Dead Sea Scrolls that miraculously survived for over two thousand years suffered considerable damage due to various post-dicovery interventions. Today they are subjected to frequent travelling exhibitions. The current work collates the published information on exhibitions and conservational treatments with the results of the analytic studies of the skin-based material of the scrolls conducted since their discovery. The examination of the properties of the scrolls proves that frequent travel, exhibitons and the associated handling induce collagen deterioration that is covered up by the absence of a proper monitoring program.
For many years after the discovery of the Dead Sea Scrolls, text analysis and fragment attribution were the main concern of the scholars dealing with them. The uncertain archaeological provenance of a large part of the collection added difficulties to the already formidable task of sorting thousands of fragments. After 60 years of scholarly research the questions of origin, archaeological provenance and correct attribution of the fragments are still debated. To help address these questions we have developed a methodology suitable for the material studies of the scrolls using combinations of X-ray, FTIR and Raman techniques. On the one hand, an accurate characterization of the highly heterogeneous writing media of the Dead Sea Scrolls leads to a reliable reconstruction of their history and, thus, contributes significantly to the current debate. On the other hand, it provides new information on the production of ancient parchment towards the end of the Second Temple period, opening a new page in the historical study of technology.
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.