The constituents of the ink from a Qumran inkwell: new prospects for provenancing the ink on the Dead Sea Scrolls

A unique sample of ink from an inkwell in the Schøyen Collection allegedly found at Qumran has been subjected to analyses by several analytical techniques: GC–MS, proteomic analysis, PXRD, Raman, (ATR) FT-IR, LIBS, ICP-MS and MS. The results reveal to an unexpected level of detail how the ink was manufactured, which gives insight into the industrial processes and craftsmanship that were practiced at the Qumran settlement during the Second Temple period (100 BCE–CE 70). The identified minerals and other organic and inorganic materials are sufficiently multiple and diverse that it is probable that this specific ink can be recognized if analyses of inks are performed on manuscripts from Qumran and other locations in Israel and the Middle East. The present work exposes a distinct and unique possibility to shed light on early Jewish manuscript controversies, including their provenance.

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► Ink from the Schoyen inkwell is analyzed by 8 different analytical techniques.
► Four distinct grain types are observed, each with a distinct chemistry.
► The ink from the Schoyen inkwell can likely be recognized if found on parchments.
► This makes it possible to determine provenance of specific Dead Sea Scrolls.