Treasure hunters are using Dead Sea ‘copper scroll’ map to find ancient Jewish loot worth $1BILLION – but it might already be stolen
Over 4,600 pieces of precious metal are listed on the scroll
ARCHAEOLOGISTS are continuing to race against grave robbers to find more ancient Dead Sea Scrolls and the treasure they could lead to.
The first lot of scrolls were found in 1947, with the mysterious Copper Scroll found in 1952, but recent developments have stirred excitement and hundreds of caves still need to be excavated.
The Dead Sea Scrolls are ancient Jewish manuscripts that were found in the Qumran Caves in the dessert to the north of the Dead Sea.
The Copper Scroll is one of the most famous scrolls because it is the only metal scroll and it lists places were various items of gold and silver are hidden.
Archaeologists translating the scroll soon realised it was special because it contains directions to 64 locations where staggering quantities of treasure could be found.
Scholars believe that this scroll was placed in the cave at a different time to all the other parchment scrolls.
It is made of copper so thin that it could be rolled up but, due to corrosion, the scroll had to be cut into strips for preservation purposes and is now on display at the Jordan Museum.
Over 4,600 pieces of precious metal are listed on the scroll, which makes the total haul worth well over $1billion (£770million).
Can the Copper Scroll Treasure be found?
The Copper Scroll led to one of the biggest treasure hunts in history with numerous expeditions that have already attempted to find the treasure it describes.
However, the clues to were the treasure is are written in such obscure ways that any treasure hunter will have a hard time working it out.
For example, one column reads: "In the salt pit that is under the steps: forty-one talents of silver. In the cave of the old washer's chamber, on the third terrace: sixty-five ingots of gold."
As no real starting point is mentioned, it would also be impossible to follow all the directions accurately.
Scholars also think that some of the treasure could have been taken thousands of years ago by the Romans or other looters.
One extensive treasure hunt occurred in 1962 when archaeologist John Allegro excavated potential burial places that were listed on the scroll.
Unfortunately he came back empty handed but that didn't stop other treasure seekers following his lead.
Due to the current political situation in the region were the scrolls were found, it's very difficult to get permission to do any serious excavation work.
However, this could mean that the treasure is still out there somewhere, waiting to be found.
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