Ancient DNA offers clues to physical origins of Dead Sea Scrolls

Ancient DNA offers clues to physical origins of Dead Sea Scrolls

Gene detectives investigate Dead Sea Scrolls

DNA fingerprinting is helping researchers to understand the patchwork of archaeological fragments known as the Dead Sea Scrolls. Through genetic analysis, researchers have been able to reconstruct the origin of some of the ancient parchments. In particular, they realized that two pieces once considered part of the same manuscript were in fact made from different animal hides — one from sheep and the other from cow. “There are many scrolls fragments that we don’t know how to connect, and if we connect wrong pieces together it can change dramatically the interpretation,” says geneticist Oded Rechavi.

National Geographic | 6 min readSource: Cell paper