Space Age Technology Reveals Hidden Words Of The Dead Sea
Scrolls
Scientists Use Image Processing and Computer Algorithms to
Enhance Degraded Text
Speaking to a standing-room-only audience at the National Library
of Medicine April 16th, scientists Keith T. Knox, Ph.D., Robert H.
Johnston, Ph.D., and Roger L. Easton, Jr., Ph.D. from the Xerox
Digital Imaging Technology Center and the Chester F. Carlson Center
for Imaging Science at the Rochester Institute of Technology spoke
of their efforts in applying imaging technology to deciphering the
Dead Sea Scrolls.
Discovered between 1947 and 1956 in caves on the north shore of
the Dead Sea, the Dead Sea Scrolls contain fragments of every book
of the Old Testament and confirm the known stories about biblical
figures such as Enoch, Abraham, and Noah. They also contain
references to secular activities, liturgies, and religious rituals.
Although the Dead Sea Scrolls were found over 50 years ago, it
wasn't until the beginning of this decade that photos of the scrolls
were published for widespread scholarly study. Most of the books of
the Dead Sea Scrolls were discovered in caves under as much as nine
feet of bat dung. Conditions within the caves caused the leather on
which the scrolls were written to deteriorate, obscuring much of the
writing and causing pieces of text to detach and transfer to other
parts of the scroll. This makes the job of reconstructing the
original text similar to the task of assembling a jigsaw puzzle.
Six years ago, Dr. Knox, a research scientist with the Xerox
Digital Imaging Technology Center, met Professor Johnston, an
archaeologist who was trying to make sense of some of the Dead Sea
Scroll fragments. They joined with Professor Easton to form a
project within the Center for Electronic Imaging Systems to
investigate the problem of enhancing degraded text. Knox and Easton,
who are experts in image enhancement and restoration, have developed
algorithms to enhance both business documents and astronomical
images. They believed that these algorithms could be applied to the
problem of restoring degraded ancient texts.
In 1994, Johnston acquired from Eastman Kodak a specialized
digital camera the company had developed for the space program. This
camera is sensitive to a broad spectrum of wavelengths beyond what
the human eye can see. The team has used this camera, together with
a set of astronomical filters, to image a number of fragments from
the Dead Sea Scrolls.
For example, you see pictured two views of a fragment from the
original set of scrolls discovered in 1947. In the photo on the
left, you can see how the fragment appears in visible light. One
portion of the scroll is so dark and degraded that no characters are
visible. When the scroll is photographed in infrared light, as shown
on the right, many new characters are revealed. From these images,
scholars were able to reconstruct a previously unknown hymn for a
harvest festival.
Using space-age technology, text images can now be restored
electronically with digital imaging to help scholars read more of
the text than they could before. "Science is now a partner with
religion in revealing the past," says Knox.
Knox feels that the widespread interest in their work (many of
their lectures are to capacity crowds) has to do with the
fascination with the roots of two major religions -- the beginnings
of Christianity and of rabbinical Judaism.
"So little is known about the historical times of 2,000 years ago
that people are naturally curious about the foundations of their
respective religions," commented Knox. The team plans to continue
their work in deciphering the Dead Sea Scrolls.
Thanks to Judith Folkenberg, Office of Communications and
Public Liaison, for contributing this article. 
Photo: These two views of a liturgical scroll capture the
magic power of infrared light. The image at left shows the scroll
viewed in visible light. The dark, degraded portion, bottom right,
can't be read. The image at right, viewed with invisible (here,
infrared) light, reveals many new characters in that area. Scholars
have reconstructed a previously unknown harvest hymn from these new
characters.
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