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Article: The historical setting: scholars use four methods to date the Dead Sea Scrolls: radioactive carbon-14 testing, paleography, archaeology, and references to historical events and persons within the scrolls themselves.(research)(Brief Article)
- Article from:
- Calliope
- Article date:
- December 1, 2001
- Author:
CopyrightCOPYRIGHT 2001 Carus Publishing Co. This material is published under license from the publisher through the Gale Group, Farmington Hills, Michigan. All inquiries regarding rights should be directed to the Gale Group. (Hide copyright information)
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Radiocarbon dating can be performed on organic material, such as the leather wrapping or the papyrus on which the scrolls were written. It works by determining the ratio of radioactive carbon-14, which begins to decay at a known, fixed rate when an organism dies, to regular carbon-12.
Paleography is the study of ancient writing. The method and means of writing, for example, how letters are shaped, and what words and terms are used, can all be used to place documents and inscriptions into a relative sequence.
The archaeological excavations at the site of Qumran and in the caves where the scrolls were found produced finds such as pottery and coins that ...