Posted on 11/14/2006 11:43:50 AM PST by blam
Toilet evidence links Dead Sea Scrolls to sect
By Thomas H. Maugh II
Los Angeles Times
Following directions found in the Dead Sea Scrolls, archaeologists have discovered the latrines used by the sect that produced the scrolls, discovering that efforts to achieve ritual purity inadvertently exposed members to intestinal parasites that shortened their lifespan.
The discovery of the unique toilet area provides further evidence linking the scrolls to Qumran — an association that recently has been called into question by a small but vociferous group of archaeologists who have argued that the settlement was a pottery factory, a country villa or a Roman fortress, but not a monastery.
The Dead Sea Scrolls, the revisionists claim, were actually hidden in the caves of Qumran by Jews fleeing the devastation of Jerusalem during the Roman suppression beginning in A.D. 66.
The majority of archaeologists, in contrast, argue that the scrolls were copies produced by a small sect, generally called the Essenes, who lived at Qumran.
Because the location of the latrine was specified in two of the most important scrolls found at the site, its discovery provides strong evidence associating the settlement with the scrolls, said archaeologist James Tabor of the University of North Carolina at Charlotte, one of the co-authors of a paper appearing in the international journal Revue de Qumran.
In 1947, Bedouin tribesmen discovered three ancient manuscripts in a cave on the shore of the Dead Sea, about 10 miles south of Jericho. Subsequent searches revealed about 900 manuscripts and fragments dating from about 250 B.C. to A.D. 68.
(Excerpt) Read more at seattletimes.nwsource.com ...
Demonstrates the importance of knowing where the men's room is.
Grafitti on the walls?........
Liteth a match, Cleophvs
Did the scrolls have crossword puzzles?
Did they not have a copy of the Sears catalog?
Little wadded up scrolls discovered?
They didn't have matches.........had to use flints and steel!.............
I suppose that is plausible, especially considering Qumran is a stones throw from Masada. But I am with the majority, it seems more likely it was some kind of monastery.
Thoseth who writith on latrinith room walls
Shall rollith thoust turds in little balls,
thost who readith thine wordith of wit,
shall eatith thou little balls of .....
Holy $#!%
I guess we're just *flush* with stories about this.
Remote latrine reconfirms the presence of Essene sect at Qumran
EurekAlert / University of North Carolina at Charlotte | November 13, 2006 | James Hathaway
Posted on 11/14/2006 3:20:10 AM EST by SunkenCiv
http://www.freerepublic.com/focus/f-chat/1738210/posts
Latrines of the Essenes?
The New York Times | November 14, 2006 | By JOHN NOBLE WILFORD
Posted on 11/14/2006 11:21:04 AM EST by aculeus
http://www.freerepublic.com/focus/f-news/1738396/posts
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Sounds like a good opportunity to study Ess-scatology.
"Samples from the surrounding areas contained no parasites. Had the waste been dumped on the surface, as is the practice of Bedouins in the area, the parasites quickly would have been killed by sunlight. Buried, they could persist for a year or longer, infecting anyone who walked through the soil"
This makes no sense.
If they threw their turds all over the surface of the ground wouldn't people walking through it .If it 's buried in the ground how would a person walk through it? It is underground.
How long does it take for the sun to kill the parasites, anyway? Quickly isn't too precise.
You mean my kids can play with any ole' crap outside and it won't harm their health? Who knew.
:'D
"The majority of archaeologists, in contrast, argue that the scrolls were copies produced by a small sect, generally called the Essenes, who lived at Qumran."
I've read quite a few books about this, and there may even be a majority opinion, but I hardly think it's a consenus. Nothing really is known for certain, about the scrolls or the nearby settlement.
If they're from a Koran, there's going to be trouble.
Seemed sounded plausible, but then I'm not a historian.
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