3.3. The Qumran Scrolls

Qumran Pottery Provenance

All clay sources on earth have a unique geochemical history, but show a slightly different chemical impurity

composition. Based on the analysis of these chemical impurities the pottery can be traced to the site where it has been manufactured. Similarly, other artifacts made from pumice, obsidian glass, amber, basalt and sporadically flint can be traced to a distinctive

source.

Analysis of Qumran Pottery should establish the origin of the

dead sea scroll containers and yield information on the cultural

connection with other groups and villages

Qumran

Hebron

The water tanks

and the elaborate

water distribution

system have

been suggested

as an indication

for local pottery

production.

Qumran site and samples

Analysis of Qumran Pottery should establish the origin

of dead sea scroll containers and yield information on

the cultural connection with other groups and villages.

Is there a difference between pottery found in the caves and at the Qumran site?

Was the pottery made locally or was it imported?

Taking & Preparing a Sample

A pottery sample is taken by grinding off

100 mg of ceramic resulting into a powder.

This is then mixed with pure cellulose

(50 mg) (as a binder) and pressed into a

pellet of uniform size and thickness. The

pellets--representing sherds or complete

vessels--are wrapped in pure aluminum

and set on edge into an aluminum capsule

which is sent to a nuclear reactor where

it is submitted to a neutron flux. Two or

more samples of a standard of known chemical composition are

added to the rest of the pellets.

Neutron activation with reactors

Activation procedure with thermal

neutrons in reactor

Cherenkov light

Probe is positioned into neutron line

Gamma-ray spectrum showing several short-lived elements

measured in a sample of pottery irradiated for 5 seconds, decayed

for 25 minutes, and counted for 12 minutes with an HPGe detector.

Activity measurements

with a Ge-detector

Long-lived Isotopes

Gamma-ray spectrum from 50 to 800 keV showing medium- and long-lived

elements measured in a sample of pottery irradiated for 24 hours, decayed

for 9 days, and counted for 30 minutes on a HPGe detector.

High energy g-radiation

Gamma-ray spectrum from 800 to 1600 keV showing medium- and long-lived

elements measured in a sample of pottery irradiated for 24 hours, decayed

for 9 days, and counted for 30 minutes on a HPGe dectector.

Gamma-ray counts to calculate the

element composition

To calculate the concentration C (i.e., ppm of element) in the unknown sample it is irradiated together with a standard containing a known amount of the element of interest. If the unknown sample and the standard are both measured on the same detector, one usually corrects the measured counts (or activity) for both samples back to the end of irradiation using the half-life of the measured isotope. The equation used to calculate the mass of an element in the unknown sample relative to the standard material is

where Asample= activity of the sample and standard (std), m= mass of the element, l= decay constant for the isotope and t= decay time. For short irradiations, the irradiation, decay and counting times are the same for all samples and standards such that the time dependent factors cancel. Thus the above equation simplifies into

where C= concentration of the element and W= weight of the sample and standard.

stdt

std

sample

t

sample

std

sample

em

em

A

A

l

l

std

sample

sample

stdstdsample

A

A

W

WCC

Results from 220 samples

Marta Balla, PhD Dissertation, University of Budapest 2005

Provenance of Qumran pottery?

Qumran pottery (200BC-70AD) is traceable to their places of

manufacture by their chemical finger print!

~35% of the pottery was produced locally

~20% of the pottery was produced in Jericho, 20 miles north of Qumran

~30% was from Hebron (Beit Ummar) as shown by the specific kind of clay

(Motza clay), 46 miles south west of Qumran

~15% of pottery seemed to come from Edom, south of the Dead Sea

The scroll jars are primarily local or from Jericho

Results indicate the Qumran was not a isolated location of the

Essene community without communication with the outside world as

argued before (Flavius Josephus, Pliny)

Qumran had trade exchange and communication with other towns

along the Dead Sea.

Was Napoleon murdered?

Napoleon’s Death The circumstances of Napoleon’s demise

on 5 May 1821 have been shrouded by

suspicion. The generally held belief was

that he fell victim to carcinoma of the

stomach – the supposed cause of his

father’s death in 1785. But an analysis of

five samples of Napoleon’s hair taken after

his death showed a largely enhanced level

of arsenic. Was he poisoned?

Napoleon has

declared in his

will that ‘I die

before my time,

murdered by the

English oligarchy

and its hired

assassin’. http://www.sciencedaily.com /releases/2008/02/080211131357.htm

Capello Massa (mg) Capello Massa (mg)

Odierno 1 0,122 Aiglon 1826 1 0,138

Odierno 2 0,112 Aiglon 1826 2 0,108

Odierno 3 0,096 Napoleone Corsica 1 0,180

Odierno 4 0,138 Napoleone Corsica 2 0,274

Odierno 5 0,220 Napoleone Elba 1 0,232

Odierno 6 0,066 Napoleone Elba 2 0.188

Odierno 7 0,118 Napoleone S. Elena 5 maggio 1 0,126

Odierno 8 0.126 Napoleone S. Elena 5 maggio 2 0,166

Odierno 9 0,148 Napoleone S. Elena 5 maggio 3 0,090

Odierno 10 0,230 Napoleone S. Elena 5 maggio 4 0,130

Aiglon 1812 1 0,106 Napoleone S. Elena 5 maggio 5 0,224

Aiglon 1812 2 0,088 Napoleone S. Elena 5 maggio 6 0,148

Aiglon 1816 1 0,132 Napoleone S. Elena 6 maggio 1 0,254

Aiglon 1816 2 0,104 Napoleone S. Elena 6 maggio 2 0,328

Aiglon 1821 1 0,078 Josephine 1 0,268

Aiglon 1821 2 0,060 Josephine 2 0,294

Hair Samples

Several hair samples taken from Napoleon

at different stages of his life as well as from

other persons living at this period (The King

of Rome, Empress Josephine) were placed

in capsules near the core of the reactor at

the University of Pavia, Italy for neutron

activation. The Arsenic concentration was

determined from the 559 and 563 keV g

activity from the activation product 76As.

75As(n,g)76As; T1/2 = 26.4 h

75As is the only stable isotope of Arsenic

Arsenic levels

(King of Rome, Napoleon’s son)

The Arsenic level in the hair was high but comparable with

the typical level at that time.

Napoleon’s graves

Sample As (μg/L)

N.1 1.0000

N.2 1.5000

N.3 2.0000

N.4 1.2500

N.5 1.1000

N.6 0.8000

Average 1.28 ± .43

Presently legally accepted limit: = > 10

Comparison with today’s

arsenic level

The level of arsenic in the Napoleonic hair samples from

200 years ago was found to be 100 times greater than the

average level detected in samples from persons living

today.

The Emperor’s hair had an average arsenic level of around

ten parts per million (~10-15 ppm), whereas the arsenic

level in the hair samples from currently living persons is

around one-tenth of a part per one million (0.1 ppm).

Normal Human Levels

Levels of arsenic in unexposed individuals:

< 1 μg/L in blood

<100 μg/L in urine

≤1 ppm in nails

≤1 ppm in hair