An ancient biblical scroll discovered on the shores of the Dead Sea and too fragile to be opened has now been unfurled for the first time using digital technology. For scientists, the technology opens a window into the discovery of other ancient carbonized parchment texts.
According to the New York Times, when the parchment was first identified, curators could only preserve their findings. Scientists hoped evolving technology would enable the scroll to be read and that day has finally dawned.
Scientists at the University of Kentucky, together with biblical scholars in Jerusalem have been working on the project. The team used a computer-based technology to unfold a digital image of the parchment.
The writing derived from the digital image of the charred parchment was tangible and clear. "Never in our wildest dreams did we think anything would come of it," Pnina Shor, head of the Dead Sea Scrolls Project at the Israel Antiquities Authority said.
According to the BBC, the scrolls contain passages from the Book of Leviticus. The script is said to date back to the 3rd or 4th Century AD. The blackened scroll was initially found in 1970 amongst the ruins of an ancient synagogue.
The scrolls were reported to have been buried inside the synagogues' ark. Researchers believe that the scrolls could have been used for prayers. Furthermore, scientists and scholars believe the new findings would help in understanding the development of the Hebrew Bible.
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