The Copper Scroll (3Q15) is one of the Dead Sea Scrolls discovered in Cave 3 near Khirbet Qumran. It is different from the other scrolls because it is made of metal, not parchment or papyrus. The metal is copper mixed with about 1 percent tin. However, over time, the copper has turned into a brittle oxide, and no metallic copper remains. The scroll was originally one long piece, about 2.4 meters (7.9 feet) in length, but it is now in two separate sections. Unlike other scrolls, it is not a literary work but a list of 64 places where gold and silver were hidden. Its Hebrew language is closer to the language used in the Mishnah than the Hebrew in other scrolls, though some parts share similarities with 4QMMT. The scroll’s spelling, writing style, and date (around 50–100 CE) also differ from other Qumran manuscripts.
Since 2013, the Copper Scroll has been displayed at the Jordan Museum in Amman after moving 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 for analysis. English archaeologist John Marco Allegro recommended the university’s Professor H. Wright Baker to cut the copper into 23 strips in 1955 and 1956. This allowed scholars to read the text, which was later found to be part of the same document. Allegro wrote down the scroll’s contents immediately after it was opened.
Józef Milik was the first person assigned to study the transcribed text. He first thought the scroll was written by the Essenes, a religious group, but later believed it was not an official work of theirs. He initially thought the scroll described folklore rather than real events. However, he later changed his mind, noting that the scroll was not connected to the Qumran community. Milik suggested the scroll was placed in the cave separately, possibly from a different time.
In 1957, the Jordanian Director of Antiquities asked Allegro to publish the scroll’s text. After another request from a new director, Allegro published a version with translations and drawings in 1960. Milik later published his own edition in 1962, but the photographs included were hard to read. The scroll was rephotographed in 1988 with better quality. From 1994 to 1996, Electricité de France (EDF) helped preserve the scroll by studying its corrosion, cleaning it, and creating detailed copies. Emile Puech’s edition used these improved results.
Scholars have debated the scroll’s date. Frank Moore Cross suggested it was written between 25–75 CE based on its writing style. William F. Albright and Manfred Lehmann believed it was between 70–135 CE, linking it to events after the Jewish-Roman War. Others, including P. Kyle McCarter Jr., Albert M. Wolters, David Wilmot, and Judah Lefkovits, thought it was written around 70 CE. Emile Puech argued it was older than 68 CE because it was placed behind jars already in the cave. Józef Milik proposed the scroll was written around 100 CE, which would mean it did not come from the Qumran community, as the settlement was destroyed by the Romans earlier.
The Copper Scroll’s writing style is unique. It resembles Mishnaic Hebrew, a form of Hebrew used later than the Bible. Most ancient Hebrew texts studied are from the Bible, but the Copper Scroll uses words not found in biblical texts. The script was written with hammer and chisel on copper, making it hard to read. Seven location names are followed by Greek letters, which some scholars think represent numbers. The scroll’s structure also resembles Greek temple inventories, suggesting it might be an authentic record of temple items.
Some scholars believe the scroll’s difficult-to-read text may be due to being copied by a scribe who was not fluent in the language. Milik noted that the scribe mixed different writing styles and often confused letters, making translation challenging.
Contents
The text lists 64 locations. Sixty-three of these places are described as containing treasures made of gold and silver, with amounts measured in tons. For example, one location mentioned in the Copper Scroll lists 900 talents of silver, which equals about 30.05 tons or 868,000 troy ounces. The entries also include tithing vessels, other types of vessels, and three locations that contain scrolls. One entry refers to priestly clothing. The last entry mentions a second document that has more details, but this document has not been found.
The opening lines of the Copper Scroll’s first column provide an example of how each entry is structured. Each entry includes three parts: 1) a general location, 2) a specific location, often with a distance to dig, and 3) what can be found.
For example:
1:1 In the ruin that is 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 in the scroll. If this is true, items from that location may have been discovered. The scroll was made of copper to last a long time, but the descriptions of locations assume the reader knows about hidden or obscure references. For example, in column two, verses 1–3, the text says: "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 noted earlier, the treasures are estimated in tons. Some believe the text describes a large treasure hidden to avoid being found by the Romans. Others think the treasure was hidden by Bar Kokhba during the Second Revolt. While it is hard to know the exact value, it was estimated in 1960 that the total treasure would be worth more than $1,000,000 U.S. (equivalent to about $11,000,000 in 2025).
Translation
[1] "In the ruin in the Valley of Achor, beneath the staircase that goes upward toward the east, forty brick tiles away, there is a silver chest and its vessels, weighing seventeen talents."
According to Eusebius' Onomasticon, "Achor" may refer to an ancient town located to the north of Jericho. However, most historical geographers disagree with Eusebius, placing the "Valley of Achor" to the south of Jericho, possibly at the modern sites of 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" might refer to one of several ancient sites, such as Beth-ḥagla, the "threshing floor of the Aṭad" (about two miles from the Jordan River), Beth Arabah, or Khirbet es-Sŭmrah and Khirbet Qumrân. Another ruin from that time was the fortress Hyrcania, which had been destroyed earlier.
The Hebrew word arikh, translated as "brick tiles," appears in the Babylonian Talmud (BT) in Megillah 16b and Baba Bathra 3b. The Hebrew word for "talents" is kikkarin (kikkarim). The weight of a talent changed over time and place. In the early 2nd century CE, among Jews, the kikkar was equivalent to the maneh, a unit of weight divided into 100 parts. Epiphanius of Salamis described the centenarius (kentinara), a Latin term used in Hebrew texts for the biblical talent (kikkar), as equal to 100 Roman librae. The Hebrew word for "chest" is shada (shadah), found in the Mishnah in Keilim 15:1, 18:1, Mikva'ot 6:5, and explained by Hai Gaon in Keilim 22:8 as meaning "an ornamental chest or trunk."
[2] "In the [burial] monument, on the third course 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 Jerusalem or outside the ancient Old City. The Hebrew word for "burial monument" is nefesh (nephesh), found in the Mishnah in Sheqalim 2:5; Ohelot 7:1; and Eruvin 5:1. Hai Gaon explained nefesh as meaning "the building built over a grave; the same marker being a nefesh." The Hebrew word for "ingots" is 'ashatot ('ashatot), appearing in the Mishnah in Keilim 11:3 and Ezekiel 27:19, and meaning "gold in its rawest form; an unshaped mass." Since no location is mentioned, most scholars believe this is a continuation of the previous section.
[3] "In the great cistern within the courtyard of the peristyle, along the far side of the ground, there are sealed-up within the hole [of the cistern's slab] (variant reading: within the sand), opposite its upper opening, nine-hundred talents."
The Hebrew word peristelon comes from the Greek peristylon, meaning "peristyle," a row of columns surrounding a space in a building. The variant reading ḥala (Imperial Aramaic: ḥala, meaning "sand") or ḥūliyya (ḥaliyya, meaning "small hole in the slab of stone over a cistern's mouth") appears in the BT in Berakhot 3b and Sanhedrin 16a. Maimonides explained the Hebrew word, in Arabic, as ḫarazat al-be'er, meaning "the round stone slab laid over a cistern's mouth 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 place may have been Khirbet Qumrân, where archaeologists found a watchtower, water aqueduct, conduit, earthquake fissure, and two courtyards, one containing a cistern.
[4] "In the mound at Kuḥlith there are [empty] libation vessels, [contained] within a [larger] jar and new vessels (variant rendering: covered with ashes), all of which being libation vessels [for which a doubtful case had occurred], as well as the Seventh-Year store [of produce], and the Second Tithe, lying upon the mouth of the heap, the entrance of which is at the end of the conduit towards its north, [there being] six cubits till [one reaches] the cavern used for immersion XAG."
The place-name Kuḥlith is mentioned in the Babylonian Talmud Kiddushin 66a, as one of the towns in "the wilderness" conquered by Alexander Jannaeus, whose military actions are described by Josephus in Antiquities of the Jews (13.13.3–13.15.5). Its exact location is unknown, though Israeli archaeologist Boaz Zissu suggests it may be near modern sites. The variant reading "covered with ashes" is one possible interpretation of the text. Libation vessels were used in religious rituals. The "Seventh-Year store" and "Second Tithe" refer to agricultural offerings. The entrance to the mound is six cubits from the cavern used for immersion, though the full meaning of "XAG" is unclear.
[5] "In the cistern opposite the
Claims
The treasure of the scroll is believed to be from the Jewish Temple, probably the Second Temple, though other possibilities exist.
Theodor H. Gaster studied the theories about the treasure's origin. Other scholars, such as Manfred Lehmann, suggested the treasure might be money or items collected for the Temple after the year 70 CE.
Experts disagree about what the treasure actually contains. However, metals like copper and bronze were often used for important documents. Specific details about the scroll support the idea that it could be a real record from Herod's Temple in Jerusalem. This has led some people, like John Allegro, to believe the treasure might still exist. In 1962, Allegro led an expedition to search for the treasure based on clues in the scroll. The team explored possible locations, but no treasure was found.
Even if the treasure is never discovered, the scroll known as 3Q15 is important. It is a long ancient Hebrew text that helps scholars study ancient languages.
It is possible the Romans found the treasure. When the Romans destroyed Herod's Temple, they may have searched for valuable items. They could have taken the treasure by questioning or torturing captured people, a common practice at the time. Josephus, a historian, wrote that the Romans actively searched for hidden treasures.
Another idea is that after the Romans left, Jewish people used the Copper Scroll to find the valuables listed in it. They may have used the treasure to rebuild Jerusalem.