The old manuscripts discovered in the Jewish desert may be older than what scientists believe. The researchers re -examined the age of several Dead Sea manuscripts and found that some biblical texts may come from the same period as their original authors, according to reports. Theguardian.com.
The study, led by Mladen Pubovic and his team at the University of Gronnin, is based on preliminary results of radioactive carbon, dating back to 30 scrolling fragments in four locations around the satellites.
Before the test, the team carefully removed castor oil, a substance used in the fifties of the last century to maintain manuscripts but is known for interfering with the results of radiological dating.
The results confirmed that although two samples were newer than expected, most of them were larger than the previous historian, and some coincided directly with the biblical age of the authors.
“It is like a time machine,” said Bubovic. “We can shake hands with those people who lived 2000 years ago.”
In addition to physical tests, the researchers used an automatic learning model called Enoch, coach of digital images of ink signs of 24 texts historian of carbon.
When Enoch was tested on additional samples, dating with radioactive carbon results match 85 % of time and often gave more accurate age estimates. When applied to 135 lashes previously not dated, it has succeeded in the history of 79 % in line with expert estimates.
Enoch also helped to detect the overlap in the use of hormone and pyramid textual programs and showed that texts such as church and Daniel 4q114 fragments are likely to be closer to the time of its virtual authors.
Automated learning has an advantage over traditional methods that require material samples that are partially destroyed during the test. Enoch provides an alternative to maintaining the integrity of these rare texts.
“There are more than 1,000 manuscripts to pass the dead sea, so our study is a first but important step,” Popovich said.
Experts see large -scale effects. Professor Joan Taylor of Kings London College said the results challenged previous assumptions about the role of Qumran in the production of pass.
However, Dr. Matthew Collins of the University of Chester urged caution, noting that the radiological dating reflects the era of slavery, not necessarily the time it was written, and expressed their concern about a limited variety of study data.
However, he admitted the model as a value adding to the tools available to the manuscripts dating back.
