How were the Dead Sea Scrolls made?

Answer 1

First, they made the parchment, or leather to write on. But it wasn't the scribes who made the writing material, it was guild tradesmen. The leather for the scrolls was firstly washed, then soaked to swell. After the hair was scraped off, the skin was stretched on wooden frames then shaved to make it as thin as possible, and yet withstand heavy use. Then the skin was soaked in a solution of salt,barleyflour, gall nuts and lime water for many days, after which it was rinsed, stretched on a frame, and allowed to dry. It was then smoothed with a pumice stone, which whitened the surface. However, the ink for the scrolls was made from soot from lamps. Honey, oil vinegar and water were added to thin itproperly. Scribes later added gall nuts for the in to bite into the leather and not fade.

Answer 2

With the exception of the "Copper Scroll", the Dead Sea Scrolls are papyrus scrolls. They were hidden in caves near the Dead Sea, in an arid area of very low humidity, conducive to their preservation. Nevertheless, some of the scrolls survived only as tiny fragments, and many are so brittle that absolute care must be taken in handling them.

Answer 3

Most of the Dead Sea Scrolls were written on rolls of papyrus. Many of these have deteriorated to the point that some are small scraps.

One scroll was written on copper. There was great difficulty in opening this fragile relic without destroying it, but it was eventually cut into sections.