Mysterious Dead Sea Scrolls used by ancient Jewish sect FINALLY deciphered by scholars
MYSTERIOUS scrolls that were created around 2,200 years ago have finally been deciphered by experts in Israel.
The ancient Dead Sea Scrolls have long been a source of intrigue – and confusion – for researchers, but scholars have finally managed to crack the secrets of two obscure scrolls.
The tiny scrolls, which total around 900 pieces, were originally discovered in a cave in Qumran in 1947.
But it's taken until now for experts to decode two particularly tricky entries.
Sixty small fragments were pieced together over the last year, revealing the name of a festival that marks the changes between seasons.
The scrolls are originally believed to have been written by an ancient Jewish sect called the Essenes.
The Essenes were known for their celibacy and voluntary poverty, and are believed to have created the scrolls as a sort of ancient library.
The scrolls preserve multiple copies of parts of the Hebrew Bible, which are said to have been untouched from as early as 300 BCE, right through until their discovery.
Scholars used the scrolls to reveal a host of special occasions celebrated by the Essenes, marked through a unique 364-day calendar.
The festivals included New Wheat, New Wine, and New Oil, and were related to the Jewish festival of Shavuot.
Another festival called Tefukah was also discovered, which was celebrated four times a year to make the transition between seasons.
Researchers used helpful annotations that a scribe added into the scroll's margins, which corrected mistakes made by the original author.
"What's nice is that these comments were hints that helped me figure out the puzzle," said Dr Eshbal Ratson, speaking to the Haaretz newspaper.
Dr Ratson worked with Prfessor Jonathan Ben-Dov at Haifa University to decode the two scrolls.
Ratson said the scribe's added notes "showed me how to assemble the scroll".
Haifa University has issued a statement saying that the two professors are now working on translating the final scroll.