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June 9, 2025

The Dead Sea Scrolls May Have Been Older Than Previously Thought

New research sheds light on literacy in ancient Judea.

In the 1960s, scholars dated the Dead Sea Scrolls based on the lettering employed by the scribes who wrote them. Their conclusions have gone virtually unchallenged until last week, when a group of researchers published the results of a new analysis employing the latest carbon-dating techniques, machine-learning software, and more traditional approaches. Most of the scrolls, the new study argues, are at least a few decades older than previously thought. Rossella Tercatin reports:

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