MACHINE-LEARNING/AI FOR THE DEAD SEA SCROLLS: When researchers at the University of Groningen in the Netherlands combined radio-carbon dating with Machine Learning/AI approaches to textual script analysis, they found strong evidence that the Dead Sea Scrolls are older than previously thought, according to Patterns of Evidence’s Lora Gilb.
“Until recently, the scrolls were assumed to date somewhere between the 3rd century BC and the 1st century AD. However, a new assessment suggests that some scrolls are significantly older than previously thought. Based on AI analysis, some scrolls are dating as far back as the 4th century BC, closer to the lifetimes’ of the original authors, according to lead study author Mladen Popović from the University of Groningen in the Netherlands,” Gilb reports.
The Dead Sea Scrolls are hugely important ancient documents because they include texts of all the Old Testament books except Esther. There are an estimated 15,000 fragments, representing 1,000 or more ancient manuscripts. They were first discovered by a young Shepherd beginning in the late 1940s.
“The new timeline for the Dead Sea Scrolls has wide implications. By placing more scrolls closer to the authors of Biblical texts, allows for deeper insight into the religious, political, and cultural changes of the time. The updated chronology could change how researchers understand the spread of literacy, the rise of the Hasmonaean dynasty, and the early roots of Christianity. It also strengthens the case for the accurate transmission of Biblical texts by pushing the oldest known copies closer to the original authors,” Gilb writes.
AND DON’T MISS: Glenn’s post on multiple fascinating aspects of the Dead Sea and it’s immediate surroundings. For a wilderness, this region is full of interesting stuff.
