The Copper scroll and the search for the Temple treasure /

Shanks (founder, Biblical Archaeology Society; editor, Biblical Archaeology Review) has written or edited over a dozen books and monographs on biblical archaeology and the Dead Sea Scrolls. Here he tells readers that the Copper Scrolls were found in Qumran Cave 3, one mile north of Qumran, in 1952. In 1955, H. W. Baker (mechanical engineering, Manchester College, England) devised a way to cut the scrolls into 23 strips. The two scrolls were about 8 feet long and 12 inches high. Twelve columns of text describe 64 locations of hidden treasure. The text of semiformal Hebrew was written in Herodian script and dated to 25-75 CE. The treasure consisted of tons of gold and silver and other items of interest. In a clear style, Shanks relates some of the competition among scholars (along with treasure hunters) wanting to claim some aspect of the scrolls' discovery and translation. Scroll scholars and interested readers will find the history of the Copper Scrolls and the players intriguing. The translation of the scrolls by Dr. P. K. McCarter Jr. was made for the Princeton Theological Seminary Dead Sea Scrolls Project and used with permission. The book includes endnotes and a bibliography. Summing Up: Recommended. Lower-level undergraduates through faculty/researchers; general readers. L. A. Sinclair emeritus, Carroll College (WI)