A five-year international research project will examine where the Dead Sea Scrolls were written and what they reveal about the ancient world.
The project, led by Professor Mladen Popović of the University of Groningen, has received a €2.5 million grant from the European Research Council. Researchers will work with the Israel Antiquities Authority using chemical analysis, artificial intelligence and the study of ancient handwriting to investigate the scrolls' origins.
The team also hopes to establish why the manuscripts were placed in caves near the Dead Sea and to map more than 25,000 scroll fragments.
Professor Popović said: "This is the largest research project to date to use artificial intelligence to investigate the cultural context of the Dead Sea Scrolls. These manuscripts provide an extraordinary window into the intellectual world of ancient Judea.
"By combining advanced laboratory analysis with the study of ancient handwriting and the remarkable advances in artificial intelligence made in recent years, we are now able to address questions that were previously beyond our reach: who copied these manuscripts, where they were produced, how knowledge circulated, and the role these texts played within the society of their time."
Dr Ilit Cohen-Ofri of the Israel Antiquities Authority said the project would create an "unprecedented database" on the chemical composition of the scrolls.
She said: "The Israel Antiquities Authority is entrusted with the preservation, documentation, and study of the Dead Sea Scrolls, and we continue to invest significant effort in advancing their scientific investigation."
