Some Dead Sea Scrolls have been declared to be fakes. Why is the Dead Sea called dead: history and legends High salinity allows people to simply relax on the water

The Dead Sea has great historical, geographical and religious significance. The culture of the ancient Egyptians, Jewish and Islamic traditions also contributed to the popularity of the Dead Sea. The Dead Sea is unique place for wellness and spa treatments. On the seashore, tourists love to spend time on the beach. The editors of “I and the World” have prepared for you some exciting facts about the Dead Sea.

1. It is called “dead” because of its high salinity

Due to high salt levels, the Dead Sea lacks fish, plants and large organisms. Hence its name. However, bacteria were found in the craters at the bottom.

2. It's not actually a sea

He is called Dead Sea, but in fact it is a large salt lake into which the Jordan River flows. Its water does not flow into other lakes, seas or oceans.

3. Its salinity is 9.6 times higher than the salinity of the ocean

Speaking of salinity Dead Sea we can say that against its background, all the salt of the ocean looks like a drop in a bucket of water. Even though the Jordan River flows into it, this water has nowhere to go. It simply evaporates, which only increases the salinity.

4. This is the lowest place on land

The Dead Sea is 420 meters below sea level. This is the lowest place on land.

5. The climate here is unique

Surrounded by an arid and desert landscape, the Dead Sea has approximately 330 sunny days per year. There is low humidity and little precipitation. During the year, the temperature ranges from +15 to +37°C. But what is unique is the fact that this is the only place on Earth where you can sunbathe for a long time without getting sunburned!

6. High salinity allows people to simply relax on the water

If you are not a fan of swimming, then this is for you. The water is so saturated with salt that you can simply lie on it without much effort.

7. People are still drowning in the Dead Sea

This looks a little strange. Although you can easily swim in the sea, you can also drown in it. The Dead Sea has been named the second deadliest swimming spot in Israel. The sea is difficult to navigate, and if you find yourself in a dangerous position, even more difficult. In addition, if you swallow salt water, it can damage your kidneys. You can say that you will be poisoned by too much salt.

8. It’s almost impossible to swim in the Dead Sea

Unlike the fact that you can lie on this water, it is impossible to swim in it. It's like being constantly pinned down by an air mattress.

9. This is the deepest salt lake on Earth

The most low point The Dead Sea is at a depth of 701 meters, making it the deepest salt lake on the ground.

10. Ancient Egyptians used it to embalm mummies

The Egyptians had very specific and unique burial rituals. They turned the dead into mummies. One of the substances used for this was asphalt, which was used to embalm the deceased before wrapping him in bandages. The Dead Sea provided the Egyptians with natural asphalt, so they visited here often. By the way, until the end of the 19th century the sea was called... Asphalt!

11. There is a prophecy that it will be unleavened

In the Bible, prophets stated that one day the Dead Sea would become fresh. According to the latest scientific research, pockets of fresh water have opened up at the bottom of the sea. Maybe the prediction is starting to come true?

12. Herod the Great rested here

Herod the Great, who ruled Israel in 40 BC, built a fortress on top of Masada near the Dead Sea. He used it as a resort. It was there that he went when it became dangerous.

13. King David found refuge here

Before David became king of Israel, he constantly ran away from King Saul, whom he challenged. The book of Samuel says that David took refuge in the canyon of Ein Gedi, which is located next to the Dead Sea.

14. The air contains extra oxygen

Thanks to unique climate The local air contains more oxygen and bromine, which provides a pleasant, relaxing effect.

15. It's a popular location for health research

Since ancient times, people have believed that swimming in the Dead Sea is good for health. And since then, scientists and doctors have been coming here to study the possibilities of treating skin diseases.

16. This is an archaeological gold mine

In 1947, the shepherd made the most significant archaeological find of the twentieth century - the Qumran manuscripts (Dead Sea Scrolls). It contained well-preserved biblical and non-biblical manuscripts that helped change historical views on religion.

17. It's drying out at an alarming rate.

The Dead Sea is drying up. Research shows that if nothing is done, it will dry out completely within 50 years. To prevent this from happening, Israel and Jordan are cooperating by pumping water from the Red Sea into the lake.

Israel has always attracted tourists from all over the world with its many attractions. Today we will not talk about places of pilgrimage, unique places of worship. This article will talk about the amazing natural monument- a huge lake, which most of our readers know as the Dead Sea. Why is it called that? What mysteries does it hold? What are its features?

You will learn the answers to these and many other questions by reading this article.

This is a truly amazing and mysterious body of water. Legends about the Dead Sea have been formed since ancient times; it is covered with various stories and rumors. Even its name contains a mistake: in fact, it is not a sea, but a lake (endorheic), and scientists were able to discover some life here in the form of a small number of bacterial species in the 20th century. It follows from this that the name of the reservoir, which sounds in Hebrew as Yam ha-melah (“sea of ​​salt”), is much more true.

Description

Along the border of Jordan and Israel there is an amazing creation of nature - the Dead Sea. Its shores, not at all sandy, attract tourists from all over the world. People are interested in seeing this miracle with their own eyes and plunging into waters in which they cannot drown.

The Dead Sea is the saltiest body of water on our planet. Thanks to this, you can calmly lie down on the quiet surface of the water and read your favorite magazine. The concentration of salt in the local waters is amazing - more than 270 grams per liter of water. For comparison, in other salty reservoirs this figure rarely exceeds 35 grams.

Unusual name

Many people know about the existence of this amazing lake in Israel, but not everyone understands why the Dead Sea is called dead. One of the reasons for such a creepy name lies precisely in the salt. Due to its high concentration in water, only rare species of microorganisms survive. Shellfish, fish and even algae cannot tolerate this amount of salt. Fish that accidentally fall into the sea die instantly, and their salt-covered bodies are washed ashore. Now you can understand why the Dead Sea is named so.

In Hebrew it is called Yam ha Maved, which translates as “killer sea.” But this one has unusual lake and more optimistic names - Arava, Sea of ​​Lot, Salty, Asphalt.

Features of water

It would seem that we have figured out why the Dead Sea is called dead. But in this regard, the following question arises: where does the waters of the lake come from with such an amount of salt? This is explained, as in the case of the name, simply. The salty sea is a kind of trap for all the streams and rivers that flow into it; water is not able to leave the boundaries of this unusual body of water. The only way out for it is evaporation. And the salt does not evaporate, remaining in the lake. As a result, over the centuries-old history, such a huge amount of it has accumulated here.

As you can see, it is quite obvious why the Dead Sea is called dead. Due to its impressive size, the lake was mistakenly mistaken for the sea by the ancients, and the complete absence of living creatures in it became the reason for the appearance of the frightening name.

Why is the Dead Sea called that: mysteries of history

Scientists are confident that a unique body of water appeared on our planet during the movement of tectonic plates. The creation of depressions or mountains by plates is explained by their displacement. When two plates collide, mountains form, and when they move apart, depressions appear. Many of them are filled with water, which forms lakes. Other depressions become valleys containing river beds, such as the valley through which the Jordan flows.

Twenty-five million years ago the Syrian-African rift occurred, and much later the plates ruptured through the Israel Valley. Sea water entered it, which was associated with rising sea levels. The bay was given the name Lashon. This name is translated from Hebrew as “tongue”. Its height was about 180 meters below ocean level. Nowadays, the surface of the Salt Sea is fixed at 422 meters.

Approximately four million years ago volcanic eruptions in Galilee and Golan Heights, which severed the connection between Lashon Bay and Mediterranean Sea, and the bay began to dry up. The Israel Valley was the first to dry up, leaving a long strip from what is now Lake Kinneret to the Dead Sea. Over time, the part that connected these two reservoirs dried up, leaving the Kinneret in the north, into which the Jordan River and numerous streams flow, and the famous Salt Sea appeared in the south.

Dead Sea: Legend

We figured out what scientists and researchers think about the appearance of a unique reservoir and the origin of its name. It's time to introduce you to an interesting and instructive legend that interprets this event in its own way.

So why is the Dead Sea called dead? Legend has it that this happened in ancient times, when there were several cities in the picturesque plain. This blessed land was famous for its olive trees, vineyards, and the fragrance of magnificent flowers. Orange and cypress groves surrounded the cities, where houses were built of white stone. The courtyards were decorated with fountains with water shimmering in the sun, and pools in which goldfish swam silently. And beautiful and rich people lived in these cities. Each had herds of sheep, horses and camels. They dressed only in silk, ate delicious dishes, drank excellent wines, and enjoyed freshly baked bread and aromatic fruits.

And they had no idea that vile, inverted laws reigned here. There were always archers and guards on the border with this area. With arrows they shot down sparrows, pigeons and crows, which were not very good for these places. Only purebred animals were allowed to live in these cities—no stray cats or dogs. Sick and infirm people could not enter this territory. Those who made such an attempt were severely beaten. Rich and beautiful people did not want to share even a small part of their goods, and hospitality here was taken as a grave sin.

Even sick townspeople were expelled from the region, and if ugly or sick children were born, they were killed. Society was only supposed to be strong, rich and healthy. The law here was “push someone who is falling.” Gradually, the people who inhabited these lands became dull from wealth, a well-fed life and cruelty. Their souls dried up: there was no place in them for Faith, Wisdom and Love. They worshiped only money. They did not want to think that their well-fed life was possible only because it was given to them by the Almighty, who had been watching over this country for many years.

Test of Fear

And he called the punishing angels and ordered them to open the Cave of Fear. The Almighty decided to punish this area with fear. One night, when all the inhabitants were peacefully sleeping after fun and hearty food, Fear escaped from the dark abode. Like a brown monster, he descended onto the plain.

Early in the morning, horror woke people up. Their hearts squeezed and beat so fast that their trembling resembled animals driven into a cage. And their faces became so pale that they seemed generously sprinkled with powder. Residents did not understand what was happening to them. Fear was transmitted to animals and birds. Donkeys and camels screamed terribly, horses neighed, peacocks lost their greatness and ran around the courtyards like chickens.

Great despair shook the inhabitants, and Fear ruled the Black Mass. In moments of greatest sorrow, unfortunately, none of the inhabitants of the cities remembered the Almighty, knelt down, or said prayers. And fear began to tear hearts, people fell dead. Those who remained alive had bitter tears running down their cheeks. But these were not tears of repentance, but only fear and despair. A few hours later there were no survivors left in the city: no people, no animals and birds.

And then the Almighty wiped this area off the face of the Earth. Fire rained down from the sky, and the once blooming valley turned into a desert. And the tears of the inhabitants formed a sea in which not a single living creature could live. They called him Dead.

We have presented to you two versions of why the Dead Sea is called dead - scientific and mythical. Which one is closer to you - decide for yourself.

Dimensions of the sea

This figure changes annually, and it must be admitted that it is not increasing. The Dead Sea dries up and, as a result, its length, width and depth change. According to the latest data, its length is 67 km, depth (maximum) - 380 m, width - 18 km, area - 650 sq. km.

Dead Sea today

Throughout its centuries-old history In addition to mudflows, the Dead Sea was fed by the waters of the Jordan River. This was the case before the construction of a hydroelectric power station designed by Pinchas Rutenberg. Permanent and main source, which refilled the lake with fresh water, ended up behind the Dgania dam, which was built in the thirties of the last century.

It opens only on rare occasions, when there is a particularly rainy winter, so that water does not flood coastal settlements. The salt sea is now drying up or receding by one meter per year. This is too high a rate of drainage of a unique reservoir, and therefore people sounded the alarm. On paper, there are many plans to desalinate water along the Mediterranean coast. This is necessary to use it instead of what was taken from Lake Kinneret. Water from the Kinneret is planned to be sent to the Dead Sea, as it was before the construction of the dam.

Projects were developed to connect the Dead Sea with the Red and Mediterranean canals. But for now they all remain only on paper, and unique lake gradually dies.

We told you why the Dead Sea is called dead. I would like to talk about the healing properties of the water from this lake and mud, which are widely used in medicine and cosmetology, but this is the topic of another article.

The famous Qumran manuscripts (also known as the Dead Sea Scrolls) are fakes, the Washington Museum of the Bible, where the artifacts were on display, said. According to a study by experts, at least five of the 16 fragments owned by the institution were created much later than previously thought. At the same time, pieces of ancient parchment may have been used to make them. X-ray scanning and ink analysis were carried out at the Federal Institute for Materials Research and Testing in Berlin. Scientists were waiting for other results of the examination and, according to the museum’s chief curator Jeffrey Kloch, they were shocked by the result.

After the results were announced, the Bible Museum announced the exclusion of forgeries from the collection. They will no longer be exhibited for public viewing under the guise of 2000-year-old texts. Five manuscripts were replaced by three others "pending further scientific analysis."

Research has shown the falsehood of assumptions about the ancient origin of the scrolls, the museum emphasized.

It is possible that the identified forgeries may be the most significant failure in biblical archeology after the “Gospel of the Wife.” This papyrus fragment was presented as a major sensation in 2012, and was later called a fake.

According to Kipp Davis from Canada's Trinity University, there may be not even five, but seven fake fragments of the Qumran manuscripts.

“My research confirms the high probability of such a development of events,” the scientist emphasized. “Most likely, these are modern fakes, but final conclusions are yet to come.”

The remaining nine fragments are awaiting thorough examination.

The Dead Sea Scrolls have been discovered since 1947 in the caves of Qumran in the West Bank, as well as in other caves, including those located in the Judean Desert, and in Masada. Archaeologists discovered another cave quite recently. It turned out that it had already been looted.

About 200 copies of them were found, mostly small fragments of books of the Old Testament.

In the last twenty years, many relics have appeared on the antiques market, which has raised suspicions among experts about their true origin. By the way, some researchers back in 2017 expressed suspicions about the authenticity of the exhibits in the collections of the Biblical Museum. Washington museum workers also received punishment for publishing descriptions of the scrolls without complete confidence in the originality of the texts.

The fake manuscripts were purchased by the Bible Museum's sponsors, the Green family, from the Hobby Lobby Stores corporation, which declined to disclose the total cost of the purchases. According to scientists, even individual fragments with small text are worth millions of dollars, and, let us remind you, there are 16 of them in the museum’s collection. The Greens did not comment on the information about the five fake whistles.

The corporation already got into trouble last year when it was forced to pay a $3 million fine and hand over thousands of artifacts after illegally exporting cuneiform tablets, clay seals and other Mesopotamian cultural items from Iraq. The process was controlled.

In January of this year, specialists in biblical studies at the University of Haifa one of the scrolls.

It turned out that the fragment was dedicated to the Qumran 364-day calendar. It contained dates not found in the Bible but described in other manuscripts, such as the wine and oil festivals associated with the Jewish holiday of Shavuot. It also turned out that the Essenes (one of the Jewish sects that avoided relationships with merchants, studied morality and lived in communities) celebrated the change of seasons with a special celebration at the end of the season. The scroll revealed that these days are referred to by the word “tekufa,” which is translated from Hebrew as “period.”

And in April 2017, scientists received 28 previously unstudied fragments. They were bought from private individuals who claimed that the artifacts previously belonged to the famous antiquities dealer Khalil Iskander Shahin and dated from the 3rd century BC to the 1st century AD. e.

In addition to the Biblical Museum in Washington, which opened its doors a year ago (its value is estimated at $500 million), the Black Sea Scrolls are presented in the exhibitions of the Southwestern Baptist Theological Seminary (nine fragments), Azusa University in California (4) and in a certain institute (15), the administration of which wished to keep its name secret.

Recently, a theory has been spreading in certain circles that the Dead Sea is “cursed”... You can’t swim in it. Women should not use his cosmetics, etc... I will say two words below about Dead Sea cosmetics, but this will in no way be connected with this theory...
So, the essence of the “horror stories” spread about the Dead Sea is that on its shores there were famous cities Sodom and Gomorrah, which, according to the Old Testament, were subjected to God's punishment for the debauchery and unnatural behavior of the inhabitants and were destroyed... According to another version, the sea itself was formed later precisely on the site of these cities...
Perhaps these cities really were here...

But here again are two small details from the same Holy Scripture, but from the New Testament, and at the same time from geography.
First, the Jordan River flows into the Dead Sea. And on the Jordan River, as we know from the Gospels, the Baptism of the Lord took place. And Baptism sanctified the nature of the waters... And since the Jordan flows into the Dead Sea, it means, therefore, if there was something so negative there, then Baptism neutralized all this negativity...
Secondly, in the Acts of the Apostles there is a good phrase: “What God has purified, do not consider unclean.”... That is, “unclean” natural objects simply do not exist... There is our specific attitude towards them and we ourselves sometimes we make them truly unclean when we pollute them...
And finally, let's think logically, can nature be responsible for the sins of people and be cursed? I don't think so....
And one more very important thing.
The theory that the Dead Sea supposedly preserves the memory of the history of Sodom and Gomorrah is based on... an occult theory that every place on Earth preserves the memory of the events that happened there throughout history... According to this theory , you cannot live in places where there used to be battle sites, cemeteries, prisons, concentration camps, execution sites, hospitals, etc., i.e. in places where people suffered or died violently...
Of course, from a purely human perspective, this theory can be understood... If you know that on the site of your house there was once a cemetery or there was once a place of mass executions, then when you remember about it you will obviously not like it. yourself... And if you know about it, you will remember, where can you get away from it... But firstly, this theory is purely occult and has not been scientifically confirmed. And secondly, excuse me, over the past centuries there are almost no places left on our Earth where there are no cemeteries, hospitals, prisons, places of executions, places of battles, etc... So where should we go? Perhaps to the Arctic and Antarctic? But it’s cold there and they won’t accommodate everyone...
But let's return to the Dead Sea...
In fact, as we see, again, based on the Gospels and the Acts of the Apostles, from a spiritual point of view it does not cause any harm...
Moreover, if we take a purely medical point of view, it is very useful... In our time, it is located on the border of Israel and Jordan. And both states are building hotels and sanatoriums on its shores, and the sanatoriums are prescribing procedures for swimming in this sea, the salts of which are useful for many diseases...
And it’s just interesting to even swim in it... Imagine that the density of the salt there is such that even if you absolutely don’t know how to swim, it will hold you... There are photographs where bathers and bathers are simply lying on the water and reading newspapers seem to be lying on air mattresses... In fact, there is nothing under them except the water that holds them...
And finally, one detail about Dead Sea cosmetics.
There really is one problem with it. But it has nothing to do with all sorts of horror stories about the supposed “sinfulness” of the Dead Sea... The fact is that cosmetics in our space former USSR commercial pyramids are often distributed... And there, alas, there is a considerable danger of falling for a banal fake... If you are sure that this cosmetics is really real, then there are no purely scientific contraindications to it.

American researchers stated this

Some of the Kurman manuscripts, also known as the Dead Sea Scrolls, may not actually have ancient origins. This statement was made by experts from the Museum of the Bible in Washington. Scientists have doubted the authenticity of 5 of the 16 fragments stored in the collection of this American institution.

The Dead Sea Scrolls are manuscripts discovered since 1947 in caves in an area called Qumran, as well as in its surroundings. It is assumed that some of these scrolls were written by the Kurman community, which existed in the first quarter of the 2nd century BC. Fragments of ancient manuscripts continue to be discovered in Qumran to this day - new such finds were reported, including last year.

Two years ago, the Museum of the Bible in Washington took part in a study of ancient manuscripts, during which scientists began to have doubts about the authenticity of the manuscripts in their possession. They were caused by the technique of writing texts, as well as the current state of manuscripts.

After this, five of the fragments that aroused suspicion among scientists were transferred to outside specialists for additional research. Experts from the Federal Institute for Materials Research and Testing in Germany who carried out the examination used a number of state-of-the-art technologies, including energy-dispersive X-ray spectroscopy, X-ray fluorescence analysis and three-dimensional microscopy. Tests have shown that many characteristics of the manuscripts do not allow them to be confirmed ancient origins, in connection with which the museum decided not to exhibit them anymore. In the future, the remaining 11 fragments will be studied in a similar way.

Experts note that they had hoped for a different result, but see in the current situation an opportunity to draw attention to the importance of such checks. Museum staff have called on colleagues around the world to take the utmost care to check ancient artifacts so that visitors can be confident that what they are seeing during exhibitions is genuine cultural heritage.