The Copper Scroll (3Q15) is one of the Dead Sea Scrolls discovered in Cave 3 near Khirbet Qumran. It is different from other scrolls because it is made of metal, not parchment or papyrus. The scroll was created using copper mixed with about 1 percent tin. Over time, the metal turned into brittle oxide, and no original copper remains. The scroll was originally a single piece about 2.4 meters (7.9 feet) long but is now in two separate sections. Unlike other scrolls, it is not a literary work but instead lists 64 locations where gold and silver items were hidden. Its Hebrew language is distinct, resembling the language of the Mishnah more closely than the Hebrew used in other scrolls. Differences also exist in its spelling, writing style, and date, which is around 50 to 100 CE, possibly overlapping with the latest Qumran manuscripts.
Since 2013, the Copper Scroll has been displayed at the Jordan Museum in Amman after being moved from the Jordan Archaeological Museum on Amman's Citadel Hill. In 2014, a new copy of the Copper Scroll was announced to be produced by Facsimile Editions of London.
History
The Copper Scroll was discovered by an archaeologist on March 14, 1952, at the back of Cave 3 at Qumran. It was the last of 15 scrolls found in the cave and is called 3Q15. The scroll was made of copper and was too damaged to be unrolled normally. The Jordanian government sent it to Manchester University in England, where Professor H. Wright Baker cut it into 23 pieces in 1955 and 1956. After this, it was clear that the pieces were part of the same document. John Marco Allegro, an expert on the Dead Sea Scrolls, supervised the process and wrote down the text immediately.
Józef Milik was the first person assigned to study the transcribed text. He first thought the scroll might have been made by the Essenes, a religious group, but later believed it was not an official work of theirs. He initially thought the scroll was a story from folklore, but later changed his mind. Milik later said the scroll was not connected to the Essenes at Qumran because it was found farther back in the cave, away from the other scrolls. He suggested the scroll was placed there at a different time.
In 1957, the Jordanian Director of Antiquities asked Allegro to publish the text. After another request from a new director, Allegro published an edition with translations and drawings in 1960. Milik published his own version in 1962, but the photos were hard to read. In 1988, the scroll was rephotographed with better detail. From 1994 to 1996, Electricité de France (EDF) helped preserve the scroll by studying its damage, taking photos, and making copies of the text. Emile Puech’s edition used these results.
Scholars disagree about when the Copper Scroll was made. Frank Moore Cross thought it was between 25–75 CE, while William F. Albright and Manfred Lehmann believed it was between 70–135 CE. Others, like P. Kyle McCarter Jr., Albert M. Wolters, David Wilmot, and Judah Lefkovits, said it was made around 70 CE. Emile Puech argued it was made before 68 CE because it was placed behind jars that were already there. Józef Milik thought it was made around 100 CE, which would mean it did not come from the Qumran community, as the settlement was destroyed by the Romans earlier.
The writing style of the Copper Scroll is different from other scrolls. It uses a form of Hebrew similar to Mishnaic Hebrew, which is not the same as the biblical Hebrew usually studied. Many of the words in the scroll are not found in the Bible or other ancient texts. The writing was done on copper with a hammer and chisel, which made the script unusual. Seven location names are followed by Greek letters, which some scholars think represent numbers. The text also has parts that resemble Greek temple inventories, suggesting it might be a real list of temple items.
Some scholars think the scroll was hard to read because it was copied by someone who did not know the language well. Milik said the scribe mixed different writing styles and often confused letters, making translation difficult.
Contents
The text lists 64 locations, 63 of which contain treasures made of gold and silver, measured in tons. For example, one location on the Copper Scroll mentions 900 talents of buried silver, which equals 30.05 tons or 868,000 troy ounces. The entries also include tithing vessels, other types of vessels, and three locations that hold scrolls. One entry refers to priestly clothing. The last entry points to another document with more details, but that document has not been found.
The Copper Scroll’s entries follow a pattern: 1) a general location, 2) a specific location, often with the distance to dig, and 3) what is to be found. For example:
1:1 In the ruin in the valley of Acor,
1:2 under the steps, with the entrance at the East,
1:3 a distance of forty cubits: a strongbox of silver and its vessels
1:4 with a weight of seventeen talents. KεN
Some people believe the Cave of Letters might have held one of the treasures listed. If true, artifacts from that location may have been found. The scroll was made of a special type of copper to last a long time, but the locations are described using details that assume the reader knows specific, hidden references. For example, column two, verses 1–3 say: "In the salt pit 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."
The treasures listed are measured in tons. Some believe the text describes a large amount of treasure hidden to avoid the Romans finding it. Others think the treasure was hidden by Bar Kokhba during the Second Revolt. While the exact amount is hard to determine, it was estimated in 1960 that the total value would exceed $1,000,000 U.S. (equivalent to $11,000,000 in 2025).
Translation
[1] "In the ruin in the Valley of Achor, beneath the staircase that leads toward the east, forty brick tiles away, there is a silver chest and its contents, weighing seventeen talents."
According to Eusebius' Onomasticon, "Achor" may refer to an ancient town located north of Jericho. However, most historical geographers believe the "Valley of Achor" is south of Jericho, possibly at modern sites like el-Buqei'ah or Wâdi en-Nu'eimeh. Eusebius also mentions Emekachor (the Valley of Achor) near Galgal. The "ruin in the Valley of Achor" could be one of several ancient sites, such as Beth-ḥagla, the threshing floor of the Aṭad, Beth Arabah, or Khirbet es-Sŭmrah. Another site from that time was the fortress Hyrcania, which had been destroyed earlier.
The Hebrew word arikh (brick tiles) appears in the Babylonian Talmud. The Hebrew word for "talents" is kikkarīn. The weight of a talent changed over time. In the early 2nd century CE, the kikkar was equal to the maneh, a unit of weight divided into 100 parts. Epiphanius of Salamis said the centenarius (a Latin term used in Hebrew texts) was equal to 100 Roman librae. The Hebrew word for "chest" is sheda, found in the Mishnah and explained by Hai Gaon as an ornamental chest or trunk.
[2] "In the [burial] monument, on the third row of stones, there are one hundred golden ingots."
During the later years of the Second Temple, several famous monuments existed, such as those of Queen Helena and Yoḥanan the High Priest, located in or near Jerusalem. The Hebrew word nefesh (burial monument) appears in the Mishnah and refers to a building built over a grave. The Hebrew word 'ashatot (ingots) means raw gold in its unshaped form. Since no location is mentioned, most scholars believe this is a continuation of the previous section.
[3] "In the large cistern within the courtyard of the peristyle, along the far side of the ground, there are nine hundred talents sealed inside the hole (variant reading: within the sand), opposite the cistern's opening."
The Hebrew word peristyle comes from the Greek peristylion, meaning a row of columns surrounding a space. The word ḥala (sand) or ḥūliyya (a small hole in a cistern's stone cover) appears in the Babylonian Talmud. Maimonides explained ḥarazat al-be'er as a round stone slab placed over a cistern with a hole in the center. Since no specific location is mentioned, this section is likely a continuation of the previous two. Allegro suggested this might be Khirbet Qumrân, where archaeologists found a watchtower, aqueduct, and a large reservoir with an earthquake fissure.
[4] "In the mound at Kuḥlith, there are empty libation vessels inside a jar and new vessels (variant reading: covered with ashes), all of which are libation vessels, as well as the Seventh-Year store and the Second Tithe, lying on the mound's entrance, which is at the end of the conduit toward the north, six cubits from the cavern used for immersion."
The place name Kuḥlith is mentioned in the Babylonian Talmud as a town conquered by Alexander Jannaeus. Its exact location is unknown, though some scholars suggest it may be in the Desert of Samaria. Libation vessels (kelei dema') were used to hold wine or oil for religious purposes but became unusable if mixed with common produce. The Hebrew word lagin (a jar with handles) comes from Greek. Afurin may be a corrupted form of anforin (new vessels) or mean "covered with ashes." Covering vessels with ashes might have been a way to mark them for priests to avoid mistakes, similar to marking vineyards during the Seventh Year.
[7] "In the old [burial] cave of Beit Ḥemdah (variant reading: Beit Hamara), on the third layer, there are sixty-five golden ingots."
In ancient Jewish language, the Hebrew word ma'arah (cave) referred to a burial cave. The phrase "burial cave of Beit Ḥemdah" suggests a known location, though it has not yet been identified. "Golden ingots" mean raw, unshaped gold.
[9] "In the cistern opposite the Eastern Gate, at a distance of nineteen cubits, there are vessels, and in the channel there are ten talents."
The "Eastern Gate" may refer to the Golden Gate, which leads to the Temple Mount, or the Nicanor Gate, also called the Corinthian Gate by Josephus. The exact identity of the gate is still debated.
Claims
The treasure of the scroll is believed to be from the Jewish Temple, possibly the Second Temple, though other possibilities exist.
Theodor H. Gaster explained different theories about the treasure's origin. Other scholars, such as Manfred Lehmann, suggested that the treasure might include contributions collected from the Temple after the year 70 CE.
Scholars disagree about what the actual contents of the treasure are. However, materials like copper and bronze were often used for making records. Features of the scroll, such as its style and structure, provide clues that support the idea that it is an authentic document from Herod's Temple in Jerusalem. These clues have led some people, like John Allegro, to believe the treasure may still exist. In 1962, Allegro led an expedition to search for the treasure based on locations mentioned in the scroll. The team explored possible burial sites, but they found nothing, and the treasure remains undiscovered.
Even if the treasure is never found, the scroll known as 3Q15 is important because it is a long ancient Hebrew text. As noted by Jonas C. Greenfield, a scholar of Semitic languages, it has value for studying the meanings of words.
It is possible that the Romans discovered the treasure. When the temple of Herod was destroyed, the Romans may have searched for valuable items stored there. They might have obtained the treasure by questioning or torturing captured people, a common practice at the time. According to Josephus, a historical writer, the Romans actively sought hidden treasures.
Another theory suggests that after the Romans left, Jewish people used the Copper Scroll to find the valuables listed in it. They may have used these items to help rebuild Jerusalem.