Fake Dead Sea Scrolls: Towards a Full History

This article provides an overview of the entire history of fake Dead Sea Scrolls, from the earliest fake fragments presented to Roland de Vaux in 1952 to the post-2002 forgeries. It then looks at two putative Iron Age papyri that have emerged more recently, the "Jerusalem Papyrus" and the...

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Bibliographic Details
Main Author: Preß, Michael 1963- (Author)
Format: Electronic Article
Language:English
Check availability: HBZ Gateway
Interlibrary Loan:Interlibrary Loan for the Fachinformationsdienste (Specialized Information Services in Germany)
Published: 2025
In: Dead Sea discoveries
Year: 2025, Volume: 32, Issue: 3, Pages: 343-377
Further subjects:B Jerusalem Papyrus
B Forgery
B antiquities trade
B Ishmael Papyrus
B Kando
Online Access: Volltext (lizenzpflichtig)
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Description
Summary:This article provides an overview of the entire history of fake Dead Sea Scrolls, from the earliest fake fragments presented to Roland de Vaux in 1952 to the post-2002 forgeries. It then looks at two putative Iron Age papyri that have emerged more recently, the "Jerusalem Papyrus" and the "Ishmael Papyrus," reviewing problems concerning the acquisition and ownership history of these items as well as evidence suggesting that they are forgeries. The article offers a model for understanding the appearance of specific types of forgeries, and uses this model to suggest a relationship between the rise and fall of fake Dead Sea Scrolls and the market for authentic examples.
ISSN:1568-5179
Contains:Enthalten in: Dead Sea discoveries
Persistent identifiers:DOI: 10.1163/15685179-bja10069