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 ...
"...have discovered the latrines used by the sect that produced the scrolls..."
So the latrines produced the scrolls?
Yeah, it made me wonder if the researcher was tainting his conclusions with a disdain for religious practices. Can't be sure in this case, but it sure is a familiar pattern.
The brilliant bear coins up with a new idiot-em.
Here I set all strainin' and flexin' just gave birth to another Texan, comment on the poop house wall during a turbine repair.
Did the scrolls have crossword puzzles?
Sudoku?
Designate a place outside the camp where you can go to relieve yourself. As part of your equipment have something to dig with, and when you relieve yourself, dig a hole and cover up your excrement.
"Demonstrates the importance of knowing where the men's room is."
Especially when you have to walk a half mile to get there.
Read the rest of the story. I guess this does not bode well for people who pee in the shower.
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Just updating the GGG info, not sending a general distribution. |
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