Dead Sea Scrolls Older Than Thought: AI Study Reveals 200 B.C. Origins

In a groundbreaking revelation, the Dead Sea Scrolls, those ancient treasures of Jewish history, might be even older than we ever imagined. A fresh study, powered by an innovative artificial intelligence model named Enoch, has pushed the timeline of these sacred texts further back into antiquity, offering new insights into the roots of Jewish and Christian traditions.

Published on June 4 in the journal PLOS One, the research—conducted by a talented team from the Netherlands, Italy, and Denmark—introduces Enoch as a machine learning tool designed to analyze the unique handwriting styles of the scrolls. Combined with radiocarbon dating, the results are nothing short of astonishing: many of these parchments, previously dated between 150 and 50 B.C., could actually trace back to around 200 B.C.

This isn’t just a matter of tweaking a few dates. The implications are profound. As the researchers note, these older timelines reshape our understanding of key ancient texts, potentially rewriting chapters of religious history. The scrolls, discovered in the desert caves near the Dead Sea during the 1940s and 1950s, have long been a window into the Second Temple period, revealing previously unknown religious writings. Now, with this revised chronology, they speak even louder about the ancient world.

What’s striking is the confidence behind these findings. The team asserts that there’s no paleographic or historical evidence to dismiss these earlier dates, making them a credible marker of time. And the fascination with the scrolls continues—recent discoveries, like the fragments unearthed by Israeli researchers in 2021, only add to their mystique. Even exhibitions, such as the one at the Ronald Reagan Presidential Library earlier this year, remind us how these ancient manuscripts still captivate hearts and minds.

So, as we marvel at technology’s role in unlocking the past, the Dead Sea Scrolls stand as a testament to enduring mysteries—and the relentless human quest to understand where we came from.