Artificial intelligence based writer identification generates new evidence for the unknown scribes of the Dead Sea Scrolls exemplified by the Great Isaiah Scroll (1QIsaa) plos.org - get the latest breaking news, showbiz & celebrity photos, sport news & rumours, viral videos and top stories from plos.org Daily Mail and Mail on Sunday newspapers.
New Study: A.I. Used To Determine That Two Scribes Copied The Great Isaiah Scroll Author: Bryan Windle Created: 26 April 2021
New research suggests that the Great Isaiah Scroll (ca. 2nd century BC), the most famous of the Dead Sea Scrolls, was copied by two scribes, not a single worker, as previously believed. In a new study in the journal, PLOS ONE, researchers used a computer pattern recognition program that utilized artificial intelligence in order to detect letter differences and ink traces which were unique to each scribe. The program was able to identify patterns in the way letters were written that were beyond a human’s ability to see. The researchers concluded that there are two distinct halves to the scroll, written by two scribes, with the break at columns 27-29. Moreover, the similarity in the two sections suggests that the scribes were trying to match their styles and may have been trained in the same school. This technology co
Detailed analysis of the Dead Sea Scrolls has revealed a mysterious second author. While the subtle handwriting differences weren’t noticed with the naked eye, it was artificial intelligence that spotted them. Since the differences were so subtle, experts believe that the two scribes may have had similar training like attending the same school.
The scrolls were found in the late part of the 1940s in a cave in Qumran in the West Bank. Searches conducted over the following ten years revealed over 900 additional manuscripts in eleven different caves. Dating back to between the 4
th century BC and the 2
nd century AD, they are the oldest remaining texts from the Hebrew Bible.
Algorithms deduce that the Great Isaiah Scroll was written by two scribes, showing AI can help unravel the mystery of who penned the oldest known manuscripts of the Hebrew Bible
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Most of the scribes who copied the text contained in the Dead Sea Scrolls were anonymous, as they neglected to sign their work. That has made it challenging for scholars to determine whether a given manuscript should be attributed to a single scribe or more than one, based on unique elements in their writing styles (a study called paleography). Now, a new handwriting analysis of the Great Isaiah Scroll, applying the tools of artificial intelligence, has revealed that the text was likely written by two scribes, mirroring one another s writing style, according to a new paper published in the journal