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