Saed News: The Copper Scroll is part of an extraordinary treasure trove of 2,000-year-old documents first discovered in the Qumran caves near the Dead Sea. This copper scroll is commonly known as the "Dead Sea Copper Scroll." However, it is very different from the other documents found in the Qumran library.
According to the analytical news website Saed News, citing FardaDid,
Since its discovery among the "Dead Sea Scrolls," the Copper Scroll has led to one of the greatest treasure hunts and exploratory journeys in history.
The Copper Scroll is part of an extraordinary collection of 2,000-year-old documents first found in the Qumran caves near the Dead Sea. This scroll is generally known as the "Dead Sea Copper Scroll." However, it is very different from the other documents found in the Qumran library.
In fact, among the Dead Sea Scrolls, this one is so unusual—in terms of author, script, style, language, genre, content, and format—that researchers believe it might have been placed in the cave at a different time than the rest of the ancient documents. As Professor Richard Freund has stated, this copper scroll is probably the most unique and important scroll, yet the least understood.
Some of the Dead Sea Scrolls were discovered in 1946.
While most of the Dead Sea Scrolls were found by Bedouins, the Copper Scroll, now exhibited at the Jordan Museum in Amman, was discovered by an archaeologist on March 14, 1952, behind Cave 3 in Qumran.
This was the last scroll found among the 15 discovered in the cave, so it is called 3Q15. While other scrolls were written on parchment or papyrus, this scroll was written on metal: copper mixed with about 1% tin.
Since the corroded metal could not be opened by conventional methods, in 1955, the scroll was cut into 23 strips and then reassembled. Its language appeared different from the rest; its Hebrew was closer to Mishnaic Hebrew than the classical Hebrew of the other Dead Sea Scrolls.
John Marco Allegro, who supervised the unrolling of the scroll, immediately transcribed its content. It soon became clear that its content was very unique. Unlike the other scrolls, which were literary works, this copper scroll contained a list.
The scroll was cut into strips to make it readable; it is currently kept in a museum in the capital of Jordan.
This was not an ordinary list; it contained directions to 64 locations where, according to the scroll, astonishing amounts of treasure could be found. Sixty-three of these locations referred to vast hoards of gold and silver. One entry apparently referred to precious garments. In total, more than 4,600 talents of precious metals are mentioned in the scroll, which would value the entire treasure at over a billion dollars.
"Forty-two talents are under the steps in the salt pit... Sixty-five gold bars are on the third terrace in the cave of the old washer’s house... Seventy talents of silver in wooden vessels in a burial chamber storeroom in Matya’s courtyard. Fifteen cubits in front of the eastern gates is a water reservoir. Ten talents are buried in the water channel of the reservoir... Six silver bars lie on the sharp edge of the rock beneath the eastern wall of the reservoir. The entrance to the reservoir is beneath the large paved threshold. Dig four cubits in the northeastern corner of the basin east of Kohalit mountain. There you will find twenty-two talents of silver coins."
Archaeologists consider this scroll to be a treasure map of the Jewish temple. Some researchers have claimed it belongs to the First Temple, which was destroyed by Nebuchadnezzar, king of Babylon, in 586 BCE. However, the scroll’s date is between 25 and 100 CE, making this hypothesis unlikely.
Other experts suggest the treasure may belong to the Second Temple. However, historical records indicate the main temple treasure was still in the building when the Romans captured it. Nevertheless, it is possible that a significant portion of the treasure was removed and hidden before the Romans arrived.
Many people are less concerned about the treasure’s origin and more interested in its current location. The Copper Scroll has prompted one of the largest treasure hunts and exploratory journeys in history. However, finding the treasure is not easy. The locations are written as if the reader has precise knowledge of these obscure references. For example, consider Column Two, lines 1 to 3:
"In the salt pit under the steps: forty-one talents of silver. In the cave of the old washer’s chamber, on the third terrace: sixty-five gold bars."
Without a starting point, tracking such directions is meaningless. Furthermore, the treasure may have been looted by the Romans two thousand years ago. Yet, this possibility has not stopped treasure hunters.
One of the largest such hunts was led by John Allegro in 1962. Following some locations mentioned in the scroll, his team explored many possible treasure sites but returned empty-handed. Despite the Copper Scroll being available for decades, not a single item on the list has ever been found.
A newer theory proposes that the scroll does not point to gold and silver treasures, but to the location of vessels from the "lost temple." Jim Barfield used triangulation techniques based on information in the scroll and believes he identified some locations near Qumran. In 2007, he visited Qumran and indeed found those places.
In one instance, the scroll described steps 40 cubits long heading east. Barfield actually found steps matching the scroll’s description. He also discovered the remains of a pool exactly 40 cubits in length, just where the scroll indicated. However, without government permission, he could not proceed further.
Due to the political situation in the region, obtaining permits for excavation is difficult. Given the unlikely prospect of authorization for serious digs or research, these findings and any other serious attempts to interpret the scroll remain on hold for now.
Nevertheless, for anyone with a hint of the spirit of Indiana Jones within, this treasure remains a fascinating and tempting artifact, sure to spark the imagination of scholars and the public alike for decades, perhaps even centuries to come.
