[PDF] Non-Destructive Investigation of the Dead Sea Scrolls

What kind of ink did the Dead Sea Scrolls use?

• Ink analysis Researchers have analyzed the ink of Dead Sea Scrolls, finding, among other things, a ratio of chlorine to bromine that indicates the ink was created near Qumran. Analysis has also suggests that a special type of ink, sometimes called "red ink," was used on at least one of the scrolls.

What are the Dead Sea Scrolls and why are they important?

• Hidden in caves in the desert, the Dead Sea Scrolls were identified as ancient Jewish manuscripts — the only known surviving biblical documents written before 100 CE.

Where are the Dead Sea Scrolls found in Israel?

• Qumran cave 4, where ninety percent of the scrolls were found. The Dead Sea Scrolls were discovered in a series of twelve caves around the site known as Wadi Qumran near the Dead Sea in the West Bank (of the Jordan River) between 1946 and 1956 by Bedouin shepherds and a team of archeologists.

When did the controversy over the Dead Sea Scrolls end?

• This controversy only ended in 1991, when the Biblical Archaeology Society was able to publish the "Facsimile Edition of the Dead Sea Scrolls", after an intervention of the Israeli government and the Israeli Antiquities Authority (IAA).