The Copper Scroll: A Treasure List From Qumran
One Dead Sea Scroll is not parchment but copper, and lists dozens of hiding places for gold and silver. Found in 1952 and cut open in Manchester in 1955, it is real and ancient. Whether the treasure was ever real, nobody knows.
Sources The Jordan Museum, Amman (Copper Scroll, 3Q15); J. T. Milik, Discoveries in the Judaean Desert III (1962); Wikipedia, 'Copper Scroll'
In March 1952 archaeologists exploring caves near Qumran, above the Dead Sea, found two rolls of thin metal that had become fused and brittle. Unlike the other Dead Sea Scrolls, written on parchment, this one was copper with a little tin, and it could not be unrolled.
Opening it
In 1955-56 it was sent to Manchester, where engineer H. Wright Baker cut it into 23 strips with a small saw. The text, in Hebrew, was a list: in one place, so many talents of silver; under a step, a jar of gold. About 64 locations in all, some apparently near Jerusalem.
Real list, missing treasure
Scholars still disagree whether it records Temple treasure hidden before the Roman destruction of AD 70, another community’s wealth, or something legendary. The quantities are huge and the directions refer to landmarks no longer known. Treasure hunters have dug for it; nothing has been found. The scroll itself is on display at the Jordan Museum in Amman.
Ledger status
Marked open. Map position is the museum in Amman, not the caves.
Sources
- Wikipedia, “Copper Scroll” — en.wikipedia.org
- The Jordan Museum, Amman — jordanmuseum.jo
Part of the World Ledger, batch 1. Original text; no images are used.
Evidence ledger
Each claim in this file, the source it rests on, and how well it holds up: 3 corroborated · 1 unverified. What the labels mean.
| Claim | Source | Type · date | Status |
|---|---|---|---|
| The Copper Scroll (3Q15) was found in Cave 3 at Qumran in 1952. | Wikipedia; DJD III (1962) | scholarly · 1962 | corroborated |
| It lists about 64 locations of hidden gold, silver and objects. | Milik (1962); later editions | scholarly · 1962 | corroborated |
| It was cut into strips at Manchester College of Technology in 1955-56 to be read. | Wikipedia | secondary | corroborated |
| The treasure was real and still lies buried.Locations are vague and no find has been linked to it. | Treasure-hunter claims | secondary | unverified |
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