Four Dead Sea Scrolls that were previously thought to be blank have actually been found to contain secret messages, a new study has revealed.
Researchers from the University of Manchester have analysed four fragments from the Qumran caves in the Judaean Desert of the West Bank.
The fragments were first studied back in the 1950s, and were thought to be blank and relatively worthless.
However, a new analysis using multispectral imaging has revealed that this isn’t the case after all.
The fragments actually have readable Hebrew/Aramaic text written in carbon-based ink, as well as ruled lines.
The most substantial fragment contains the remains of four lines of text with 15-16 letters, most of which are only partially preserved, but the word Shabbat (Sabbath) can be clearly read.
According to the researchers, the text may be related to the biblical book of Ezekiel.
Meanwhile, one piece with text is thought to be the edge of a parchment scroll section, with sewn thread.
Professor John Taylor, an author of the study, said: “Looking at one of the fragments with a magnifying glass, I thought I saw a small, faded letter - a lamed, the Hebrew letter ‘L'.”
“Frankly, since all these fragments were supposed to be blank and had even been cut into for leather studies, I also thought I might be imagining things.
"But then it seemed maybe other fragments could have very faded letters too.
“With new techniques for revealing ancient texts now available, I felt we had to know if these letters could be exposed.
"There are only a few on each fragment, but they are like missing pieces of a jigsaw puzzle you find under a sofa.”
The Dead Sea Scrolls were first found in 1947, and are widely regarded as some of the most important finds in the history of modern archaeology.
Britannica explained: “Study of the scrolls has enabled scholars to push back the date of a stabilized Hebrew Bible to no later than 70 CE, to help reconstruct the history of Palestine from the 4th century BCE to 135 CE, and to cast new light on the emergence of Christianity and of rabbinic Judaism and on the relationship between early Christian and Jewish religious traditions.”
