The Mysterious Treasure of the Copper Scroll
Item Three: In the Great Cistern which is in the Court of Peristyle, in the spout in its floor, concealed in a hole in front of the upper opening: nine hundred talents.

It was in 1947 that a Bedouin shepherd made an astounding discovery in a small cave in the hills above the Dead Sea. He found hidden there the first of eight-hundred ancient manuscripts that date back at least to 70 A.D. These works, christened the Dead Sea Scrolls, offered biblical scholars a window to the religious thinking of that critical period. A time when Christianity was just forming and rabbinic Judaism was undergoing radical changes. An intellectual treasure, indeed.

Between 1952 and 1956 archaeologists searched the caves in the vicinity of Wadi Qumran (where the first documents were found) looking for other manuscripts. Fragments of scrolls were found in eleven caves. Some of the document pieces were as small as a thumbnail, other manuscripts almost undamaged. Many were written on paper or leather. Most were inspirational in nature.

The scroll labeled 3Q15, though, was an anomaly. It was unlike its companion manuscripts in almost every way. It was written in a different form of Hebrew than the rest. It was not made of leather or papyrus, but a sheet of almost pure copper. It was found alone in the back of a cave. The contents were not literary or doctrinal in nature. It was simply a list with 64 entries that described where to find a unique and fabulous treasure of incalculable value. Not an intellectual treasure, but one composed of gold and silver.

Item Seven: In the cavity of the Old House of Tribute, in the Chain Platform: sixty-five bars of gold.

The copper scroll was discovered in 1952 by an expedition sponsored by the Jordan Department of Antiquities. When found ,it was in two parts. Apparently when the scroll was being rolled up, the thin copper sheet snapped into two sections. After almost two-thousand years in the cave, the document was so badly oxidized that it would crumble if anyone attempted to open it. Even while it was still wound up, though, it became apparent to scholars studying what little text could be seen that the scroll was a list of treasure. Despite great enthusiasm to unwind the document and examine the contents, no method could be found that would preserve the manuscript from harm. Finally, after four years of debate, it was decided to send the scroll to Manchester College of Technology in England and have it opened by using a saw to cut it into sections (above-left).

All of the Dead Sea Scrolls were assigned to be translated and published by a scholarly editing team. Each member of the team could choose to take as much time as they wished to produce a translation of the scrolls. Until they published no outside scholar could examine the original texts. The scholar assigned to the copper scroll was a man named J. T. Milik. However, another member of the editing team, John Allegro, was very excited by the document and went to England to be present when the manuscript was cut open.

The rest of the editing team did not share Allegro's excitement abouty the scroll. Supporters of Allegro say that Milik purposely withheld his translation for years longer that necessary to make it difficult for Allegro to issue his own. In any case, Allegro published his own translation in 1960, two years before the official one from Milik (though after a preliminary translation by Milik). Needless to say this caused a tremendous controversy.

Item 12: In the court of [unreadable], nine cubits under the southern corner: gold and silver vessels for tithe, sprinkling basins, cups, sacrificial bowls, libations vessels; in all, six hundred and nine.

It was Milik's opinion that the treasure in the list was only imaginary. There was a tradition of stories in Jewish folklore that describe how treasures from the first temple were hidden. Those objects sometimes included the Ark, the incense alter and Menorah. They were often hidden by a famous biblical figure like Jeremiah. It was Milik's contention that the copper scroll was just another of these stories.

Allegro was of just the opposite belief and with good reason. The treasure stories from the first temple period were works of literature. The copper scroll had all the literary value of a tax return. It had no preamble. No story. No famous figure hiding legendary relics. It was simply a list of 64 locations and an accounting of objects hidden in each place. As scroll expert Dr. P. Kyle McCarter Jr. once put it, "...it is extremely difficult to imagine that anyone would have gone to the trouble to prepare a costly sheet of pure copper and imprint it with an extensive and sober list of locations unless he had been entrusted with hiding a real and immensely valuable treasure and wanted to make a record of this work that could withstand the ravages of time."

Item 14: In the pit which is to the north of Esplanade tithe vessels and garments. Its entrance is under the western corner.

If the scroll does list a real treasure, to whom did the treasure belong? Ruins at Qumran are thought to be the remains of a sect of Jews known as the Essenes. Most of the Dead Sea Scrolls found near Qumran are believed to be from their library at Qumran. The texts were probably hidden in preparation for an attack by Roman soldiers who were systematically putting down a rebellion in the land.

Did the treasure belong to the Essenes at Qumran? Probably not. The treasure is much too big to have been accumulated by such a small community. By Milik's count, some 4,630 talents of gold and silver are listed on the scroll. Though nobody is exactly sure how much a talent was at the time the scroll was written, the figure lies somewhere between twenty-five to seventy-five pounds. This would mean the treasure could consist of between 58 and 174 tons of precious metal.

There was probably only one organization in Israel at the time that could command anywhere near that amount of money: the temple at Jerusalem itself. But why would the instructions to find a treasure from Jerusalem be found many miles away at Qumran?

One suggestion made by researcher Manfred Lehmann is that the treasure consisted of funds accumulated throughout Israel from about 70 to 130 A.D. This was a time between two major revolts in Israel against the Romans. During this period taxes and tithes were still being collected to support the temple, but the temple had been destroyed. Since the collectors could not deliver the treasure, they buried it. Some of the evidence suggests that the scroll was placed in the cave around 70 A.D. If this was the case, the period where the treasure was gathered might have been earlier. Perhaps 25 to 75 A.D.. If this was so, the treasure might been already at the temple, but dispersed and buried with the expectation that the Romans would attack the city to put down the revolt. Something they did in 70 A.D..

Item 32: In the cave that is next to [unreadable] belonging to the House of Hakkoz, dig six cubits. There are six bars of gold.

The fact that some of the treasure was buried on the property of the House of Hakkoz is significant. Hakkoz was a priestly family who traced their lineage back to the time of King David. Later biblical references indicate that they were disqualified from priestly duties because of a problem with their genealogy. The family was probably assigned another important role in the temple. Some biblical references suggest they were the treasurers in the temple. If so, then the fact that some of the copper scroll treasure was buried on Hakkoz land provides a definite link between it and the temple.

Some argue that the amount of treasure involved is too large even to be the temple treasury. This was one of the facts cited by Milik to support his idea that the treasure is imaginary. It is likely, though, that the amounts reported in the copper scroll are somehow encoded and may not represent the actual values. Allegro noted that monetary values often varied depending on the region and that the "talent" mentioned on the scroll might be the equivalent of a smaller unit known as a "maneh." Such a reduction would yield a more reasonable, but still large, hoard of treasure.

Item 37: In the stubble field of the Shaveh, facing southwest, in an underground passage looking north, buried at twenty-four cubits: 67 talents.

After finishing his initial translation and sending it back to the authorities in Jordan, Allegro was surprised to see an official press release stating that the treasure mentioned in the copper scroll was without a doubt completely imaginary. He theorized that the official statement had been crafted to avoid setting off a treasure hunt throughout the region that might have destroyed important archaeological sites.

If that was the purpose of the release, it didn't work on Allegro. He soon gathered some help and in late 1959, to the chagrin of his colleagues, set out to find the treasure.

Allegro knew it would be extremely difficult to pinpoint the locations mentioned on the scroll. In the course of almost two-thousand years, the names of places often changed. Old names might now be attached to new locations. Others had disappeared completely. Still, he had some ideas about where to look for some of the items, and he followed up on his hunches.

The first item on the scroll had read:

Item 1: In the fortress which is in the Vale of Achor, forty cubits under the steps entering to the east: a money chest and its contents, of a weight of seventeen talents.

Allegro was certain that the Vale of Achor (which means "Trouble") was a plain near Qumran. There was only one major fortress there, a defense post on top of a cone-shaped hill. In ancient days it had been known as Hyrcania. Now it was called Khirber Mird. This led Allegro's group to a vaulted underground room in the fortress some forty-feet long, sixteen-feet wide and twenty-five feet high. Unfortunately they had no way of knowing where the original eastern entrance lay, so they were unable to guess at the location of the chest, if it was still there.

The group held out hope that they might be able to locate the next item on the list which Allegro thought was probably also somewhere in Khirber Mird.

Item 2: In the sepulchral monument, in the third course of stones: 100 bars of gold.

On the southwest edge of the fortress was a mound of rubble on top of a small hill. Allegro thought that this might be the monument. Unfortunately, the metal detector they had with them was affected by the natural magnetism of the rock and they couldn't get a reading on any metal in the monument. Fortunately they decided against tearing down the whole monument to look for treasure that might not be there. Allegro's group visited other locations, but was unable to find any of the treasure and eventually gave up the search.



A small earthen vessel found in a cave near Qumran. Part of the treasure? (Copyright VJRI, photographer Yosi Cohen).

In 1964 another man became intrigued with the copper scroll. Vendyl Jones, a former Baptist minister from Texas turned archaeologist, started looking for some of the items mentioned on the scroll. More than twenty years later, in 1988, his excavation team found a small earthen vessel in a cave near Qumran (left - copyright VJRI, photographer Yosi Cohen). The jug was filled with a dark liquid substance. Analysis of the material showed that it was a sweet-smelling oil probably used in the temple to cover sacrifices. Jones believes that this jug and its sacred contents was one of the items listed in the copper scroll.

Will the other locations mentioned on the list be found and the treasure recovered? One of the most intriguing ideas about the treasure is inspired by the last entry on the list.

Item 64: In a pit adjoining on the north, in a hole opening northward, and buried at its mouth: a copy of this document, with an explanation and their measurements, and an inventory of each and every thing.

This entry seems to imply that there is another copy of the scroll with more complete information. In fact, some have suggested that neither the original copper scroll, or that one mentioned in entry 64 are sufficient by themselves to locate all the treasure. Only someone with both can hope to recover the treasure.

If this is the case, does the duplicate scroll await a finder? Is it still buried in its hole? Or perhaps it is hidden underneath the floor boards of an antique dealer's home awaiting a buyer to offer the owner the right price. Or perhaps it has been destroyed forever, closing the chapter on this mysterious treasure of the copper scroll.

The Copper Scroll (3Q15) is one of the Dead Sea Scrolls found in Cave 3 near Khirbet Qumran, but differs significantly from the others. Whereas the other scrolls are written on parchment or papyrus, this scroll is written on metal: copper mixed with about 1% tin. Unlike the others, it is not a literary work, but a list of locations at which various items of gold and silver are buried or hidden. It differs from the other scrolls in its Hebrew (closer to the language of the Mishnah than to the literary Hebrew of the other scrolls, though 4QMMT shares some language characteristics), its orthography (i.e., its spelling), palaeography (forms of letters), and date (c.50-100 CE, possibly overlapping the latest of the other Qumran manuscripts).[1] It is currently on display at the Archaeological Museum in Amman, Jordan.

Contents [hide]
1 History and origin
2 Writing style
3 Translation
4 Claims
5 Media
6 See also
7 Footnotes
8 References
9 Bibliography
10 External links


[edit] History and origin
The scroll, on two rolls of copper, was found in 1952 at the back of Cave 3 at Qumran, the first cave to be explored. It was the last of 15 scrolls discovered in the cave, and is thus referred to as 3Q15.[2] The corroded metal could not be unrolled by conventional means, and John Marco Allegro arranged for Professor H. Wright Baker, of the College of Technology at Manchester, England, to cut the sheets into 23 strips in 1955 and 1956.[3] It then became clear that the rolls were part of the same document. Allegro, who had supervised the opening of the scroll, transcribed its contents immediately. Although the text was assigned to Józef Milik, the Jordanian Director of Antiquities approached Allegro in 1957 to publish the text, which he did with drawings and translation in 1960.[4] Low-quality photographs of the scroll were published, but scholars found these difficult to work with, and have relied on a drawing of the text by Milik published in 1962. The scroll was rephotographed in 1988 with greater precision.[5] From 1994 to 1996 extensive conservation efforts by Electricité de France (EDF) included evaluation of corrosion, photography, x-rays, cleaning, making a facsimile and a drawing of the letters. Emile Puech's edition had the benefit of these results (see Poffet, et al. 2006).

Scholarly estimates of the probable date range of The Copper Scroll vary, including dates from about 50 CE to 100 CE and may have been written after most of the other Qumran scrolls.[citation needed]

[edit] Writing style
The style of writing is unusual, different from the other scrolls. It is written in a style similar to Mishnaic Hebrew. There is an unusual orthography, and the script has the features resulting from someone writing on copper with hammer and chisels. There is also the anomaly that seven of the names of locations are followed by a group of two or three Greek letters. The text is a listing of sixty-four locations; sixty-three of which are treasures of gold and silver, which have been estimated in the tons. The final listing points to a duplicate document with additional details. That other document has not been found.

Some scholars believe that the difficulty in deciphering the texts was perhaps copied from another original document by an illiterate scribe who did not speak the language in which the scroll was written. Perhaps this was done so that the secrecy of the content of the text would be preserved. This scribe made several errors, mistakes that someone familiar with the original language might not have made.

There is a distinctly minority view that the Cave of Letters might have contained one of the listed treasures [6], and, if so, artifacts from this location may have been recovered. Although the scroll was made of alloyed copper in order to last, the locations are written as if the reader would have an intimate knowledge of obscure references — e.g., "In the irrigation cistern(?) of the Shaveh, in the outlet that is in it, buried at eleven cubits: 70 talents of silver" (from Allegro's translation), or "In the cave that is next to the fountain belonging to the House of Hakkoz, dig six cubits. (There are) six bars of gold".[7]

[edit] Translation
The following is an English translation of the opening lines of the Copper Scroll:[8]

1:1 In the ruin which is in the valley of Acor, under
1:2 the steps leading to the East,
1:3 forty long cubits: a chest of silver and its vessels
1:4 with a weight of seventeen talents. KEN

[edit] Claims
The treasure of the scroll has been assumed to be treasure of the Jewish Temple, presumably the Second Temple, among other options.

There is mention of the "House of Hakkoz", with the family of Hakkoz being treasurers of the rebuilt Temple, following the return from Babylon, as listed in the Biblical Books of Ezra and Nehemiah.

The theories of the origin of the treasure were broken down by Theodor H. Gaster[9]:

First, the treasure could be that of the Qumran community. The difficulty here is that the community is assumed to be an ascetic brotherhood, with which vast treasures are difficult to reconcile. (Yet a community, as opposed to individual wealth, for a future hoped-for temple is possible. Such is proposed by, among others, Andre Dupont-Sommer, Stephen Goranson, and Emile Puech.)
Second, the treasure could be that of the Second Temple. However, Gaster cites Josephus as stating that the main treasure of the Temple was still in the building when it fell to the Romans, and also that other Qumranic texts appear to be too critical of the priesthood of the Temple for their authors to have been close enough to take away their treasures for safekeeping. (The Arch of Titus shows some temple items taken to Rome. But several scholars expressed this view.)
Third, the treasure could be that of the First Temple, destroyed by Nebuchadnezzar, King of Babylon, in 586 BCE. This would not seem to fit with the character of the other scrolls, unless perhaps the scroll was left in a cave during the Babylonian Exile, possibly with a small community of caretakers who were precursors of the Dead Sea Scrolls community. (The scroll was written too late for this proposal.)
Fourth, Gaster's own favourite theory is that the treasure is a hoax. If so, it is an elaborate hoax by an ancient people not known primarily for their sense of humor.
There are other options besides those listed by Gaster (see Wolters in Bibliography p. 15-17 for a more up-to-date list). For instance Manfred Lehmann considered it Temple contributions collected after 70 CE.

Scholars are divided on whether the Copper Scroll represents real burials, and, if so, the total measurements and the owners. If it is folklore, it is poor as literature. In any case, it merits mentioning that the Copper Scroll, unlike some other texts, does not mention the ark of the covenant (unlike 2 Maccabees 2:4-10), nor urim and thummin, nor the temple menorah and other objects sometimes mistakenly associated with it in sensationalistic literature.[citation needed]

Thus far, no item mentioned in the Copper scroll has been found, in the majority view. The Qumran silver hoard has been suggested, but not linked specifically to a 3Q15 item. Even if it remains a failure as a treasure map, 3Q15, as a new, long ancient Hebrew text has significance. For example, as comparative Semitic languages scholar Jonas C. Greenfield noted, it has great significance for lexicography (in his review of Milik's edition, "The Small Caves of Qumran"[10]).
http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Copper_Scroll

3Q15
(thing) by ifeeldizzy 1 C! Fri Sep 22 2000 at 3:37:24
Manuscript 3Q15 of the Dead Sea Scrolls (also referred to as The Copper Scroll) was found in Cave 3 on March 20, 1952. The text was punched into a scroll of 99% pure copper and is a different form of Hebrew than other Dead Sea Scrolls, with Greek lettering at the end of some lines. The entire thing is a list of 64 locations where a bunch of buried treasure is hidden in and around the Jerusalem area. Unfortunately, all of the directions point to places that existed 2000 years ago. Erosion, land shift, the changing of inhabitants, warring, and the passage of two millennia has left the area a virtually completely different place than it was at the time of the list's composition; locating the map points is none too easy. If there really are hordes of buried rich stuff out there, no one (no one who's telling anyway) has ever been able to find the loot.

See The Copper Scroll for more detailed background information.

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Column 1
1In the ruin that is in the Valley of Achor, under
2the steps, with the entrance at the east a distance of forty
3cubits: a strongbox of silver and its vessel -
4seventeen talents by weight. KEN
5In the sepulcher,in the third course of stones:
6one hundred ingots of gold. In the big cistern that is in the courtyard
7of the peristyle, at its bottom concealed by a sealing ring,
8across from the upper opening: nine hundred talents of silver coins.
9In the mound of Kohlit: votive vessels - all of them flasks - and high-priestly garmenture.
10All the votive offerings and what becomes from the seventh treasury are
11impure second tithe. The cache's opening is at the edge of the aqueduct, six
12cubits to the north of the immersion pool. CHAG
13In the plastered Reservoir of Manos, at the descent to the left,
14three cubits up from the bottom: silver coins
15totaling forty talents.

Column 2
1In the salt pit that is under the steps:
2forty-one talents of silver coins. HN
3In the cave of the old Washer's Chamber, on the
4 third terrace: sixty-five ingots of gold. THE
5In the burial chamber: vessels and seventy talents of silver coins.
6In a recess in the burial chamber: vessels and seventy talents of silver coins.
7In the cistern opposite the eastern gate,
8at a distance of nineteen cubits: in it are vessels.
9And in the conduit of the cistern: ten talents of silver coins. DI
10In the cistern that is under the wall on the east,
11at the crag of the bedrock: six jars of silver coins.
12The cistern's entrance is under the big threshold.
13In the pool that is on the east of Kohlit, in the
14northern corner, dig down four cubits:
15twenty-two talents of silver coins.

Column 3
In the courtyard ... under the southern
2corner, dig down nine cubits: votive vessels of silver and gold,
3sprinkling basins, cups, bowls,
4and pitchers, numbering six hundred and nine.
5Under the other corner - the eastern one -
6dig down sixteen cubits: forty
7talents of silver coins. TR
8In the dry well that is in Milham, on its north:
9votive vessels, priestly clothes. Its entrance
10is under the western corner.
11In the grave that is in Milham, on the
12northeast, three cubits under
13the corpse: thirteen talents of silver coins. SK

Column 4
1In the big cistern that is in Kohlit, at a pillar
2on its north: fourteen ... talents of silver coins. SK
3In the aqueduct that comes from ... at a distance of
4four cubits as you enter, silver coins
totaling fifty-five.
5Between the two boulders on the Vale of Achor,
6right at the midpoint between them, dig down three
7cubits: two cauldrons full of silver coins.
8In the red dry well on the edge of the Wadi Atsla:
9silver coins totaling two hundred talents.
10In the dry well on the northeast of Kohlit:
11silver coins totaling seventy talents.
12In the cairn of the Secacah Valley, dig down one
13cubit: twelve talents of silver coins.

Column 5
1At the head of the aqueduct of the
2Secacah Valley, on the north, under the
3big stone, dig down
4three cubits: seven talents of silver coins.
5In the fissure that is in the Secacah, to the east of
6the Pool of Solomon: vessels of
7votive offerings, along with their inventory list.
8Above Solomon's Canal,
9sixty cubits toward the large cairn,
10dig down
11three cubits: twenty-three talents of silver coins.
12In the grave that is in the Wadi Kepah
13at the point of entry as you go from Jericho to Secacah,
14dig down seven cubits: thirty-two talents of silver coins.

Column 6
1In the cave of the pillar that has two
2openings and faces east,
at the northern opening, dig down
3three cubits : there, an urn
4in which is one scroll; under it,
5forty-two talents of silver coins.
6In the cave at the corner
7of the large cairn, the one that
8faces east, dig down at the opening
9nine cubits: twenty-one talents of silver coins.
10In the Queen's Mausoleum, on the
11western side, dig down twelve
12cubits: twenty-seven talents of silver coins.
13At the cairn by the ford of the

Column 7
1High Priest, dig down
2nine cubits: twenty-two ... talents of silver coins.
3In the aqueduct of the ...
4the ... northern reservoir ...
5having four sides,
6measure out from its rim twenty-four cubits:
7four hundred talents of silver coins.
8In the cave that is next to the cold-chamber belonging to
9the family of Hakkoz, dig down six cubits:
10six jars of silver coins.
11At Dok, under the eastern corner of
12the guardhouse, dig down seven cubits:
13twenty-two talents of silver coins.
14At the mouth of the wellspring of Kobizah,
15dig down three cubits to the row of stones:
16eighty talents of silver coins; two talents of gold coins.

Column 8
1In the aqueduct that is on the road east of the
2storehouse:
3tovise vessels and ... books.
4In the outer gorge, at the stone in the
5middle of the sheepfold: dig down seventeen
6cubits beneath it:
7seventeen talents of silver and gold coins.
8In the cairn at the mouth of the gorge of the Wadi Qidron,
9dig down three cubits: seven talents of silver coins.
10In the fallow field of the Valley of Shaveh that faces
11southwest, in the burial chamber
12facing north, dig down
13twenty-four cubits: sixty-six talents of silver coins.
14In the courtyard of the Valley of Shaveh, at the burial chamber that is in it, dig down
15eleven cubits:
16seven talents of silver coins.

Column 9
1At the dovecote that is at the edge of the Wadi Nataf, measure from the dovecote's edge
2thirteen cubits and dig down seven cubits: seven
3talents of silver coins and four stater coins.
4In the second estate, at the burial chamber that faces
5east, dig down eight
6and one half cubits: twenty-three and one half talents of silver coins.
7At the Vaults of Beth Horon, at the burial chamber facing
8west, in the recess, dig down sixteen cubits:
9twenty-two talents of silver coins
10At the Pass: silver coins totaling one mina, and consecrated Temple offering.
11At the wellspring near the edge of the aqueduct,
12on the east over against the wellspring, dig down seven
13cubits: nine talents of silver coins.
14At the dry well north of the mouth of Beth
15Tamar's gorge, at the outlet of the Pele Ravine:
16all that is in it is consecrated Temple offering.
17At the dovecote that is in the Fortress of Nobah, at the border

Column 10
1on the south, in the second roof-chamber - whose entrance descends
2from above -: nine talents of silver coins.
3In the lime-plastered cistern that had conduits drawing water from the Great
4Wadi, at the cistern's bottom: eleven talents of silver coins.
5At the reservoir of Beth Hakerem, on the left
6as you enter, dig down ten cubits: silver coins totaling
7sixty-two talents.
8At the tank of the Zered Gorge, at the western burial chamber - the one with
9a black stone for an opening - dig down two cubits:
10the hundred talents of silver coins,
11gold coins, and twenty vessels containing Temple penalty fees.
12Under Absalom's Monument, on the western
13side, dig down twelve cubits:
14eighty talents of silver coins.
15At the tank of the water reserve of Rachel, under
16the trough: seventeen talents of silver coins
17In the Upper Pool,

Column 11
1In its four corners: votive vessels, and their inventory list is next to them.
2Under the southern corner of the Stoa,
3at Zadok's grave, under the column of the small portico:
4ten votive vessels, and their inventory list is next to them.
5At the Throne - the peak of the cliff facing west -
6opposite Zadok's Garden, under the great
7closing-stone that is at the edge: gold coins and consecrated offering,
8At the grave that is under the Knife: forty-one talents of silver coins.
9At the grave of the common people - it is ritually pure -
10in it: fourteen votive vessels,
11and their inventory list is next to them.
12At the entryway to the terrace of the western mausoleum,
13at the brook along the ... : vessels totaling nine hundred;

Column 12
1five talents of gold coins; sixty talents of silver coins. Its entrance is on the west.
2Under the black stone: oil vessels. Under the threshold
3of the crypt: forty-two talents of silver coins.
4On Mount Gerizim, under the step of the upper ditch:
5one chest and all its vessels, and silver coins totaling sixty-one talents.
6At the mouth of the fountain of Beth Shem: silver and gold
7votive vessels, and silver coins. The sum total: six hundred talents.
8In the big pipe of the cistern, at the point where it joins the cistern:
9a sum total, by weight, of seventy-one talents and twenty minas.
10In the dry well that is at the north of Kohlit, with an opening on the north
11and graves by its mouth: a copy of this inventory list,
12with explanations and measurements and full detail for each
13and every hidden item.

Translation by Michael Wise
http://everything2.com/index.pl?node_id=758521&displaytype=printable

The Copper Scroll
3Q15
Paraphrase and comments by Chad Hack & Nathaniel Carey
Introduction
One of the most illusive documents found in the Qumran region is The Copper Scroll. Made of two separate sheets of copper, rolled up and oxidized right through, the contents of The Copper Scroll could only be determined after it had been cut into parallel strips.
The text is difficult to read because it is virtually impossible to differentiate between some letters and others that are almost like them. The copyist made numerous mistakes thus making the task of the translators even more difficult.

The document is mysterious. Is it legend from folklore about fictitious treasures or a catalogue of hiding places for real treasures? The formulas and directions are ambiguous and inconclusive thereby hinting at the possibility that the scroll is a myth. Furthermore, scholars presume that The Copper Scroll was written about 40 years after all the other scrolls.

Specific and blatant contradictions among the translators forced us students to make educated guesses between the possible choices without certainty of the accuracy. For example, one translator suggested that the location of a treasure was facing a certain direction. Meanwhile another translator suggested that the entrance of the location is facing that direction, but location itself was facing in a different direction. Some treasure had a numeric value and other descriptions of the same treasure did not. Sometimes the treasure was gold, and other times it was silver. All together these examples combined to make the translated text ambiguous and intimate towards the fictional nature of the content.

ParaphraseColumn I
In the ruin of Horebbah[1] which is in the valley of Achor, under the steps heading eastward about forty feet: lies a chest of silver that weighs seventeen talents (yard stick).KEN [2] In the tomb of the third section of stones there is one hundred gold bars. Nine hundred talents[3] are concealed by sediment towards the upper opening, at the bottom of the big cistern in the courtyard of the peristyle. Priests garments and flasks that were given as vows are buried in the hill of Kohlit[4]. This is all of the votive offerings of the seventh treasure. The second tenth is impure. The opening is at the edge of the canal on its northern side six cubits toward the immersed pool.CAG Enter into the hole of the waterproofed Reservoir of Manos[5], descend to the left, forty talents of silver lie three cubits from the bottom.
Column II
Forty two talents lie under the stairs in the salt pit.HN Sixty five bars of gold lie on the third terrace in the cave of the old Washers House[6].QE Seventy telents of silver are enclosed in wooden vessel that are in the cistern[7] of a burial chamber in Matia's courtyard[8]. Fifteen cubits from the front of the eastern gates, lies a cistern. The ten talents lie in the canal of the cistern.DI Six silver bars are located at the sharp edge of the rock which is under the eastern wall in the cistern. The cistern's entrance is under the large paving stone threshold. Dig down four cubits in the northern corner of the pool that is east of Kohlit. There will be twenty two talents of silver coins.
Column III
Dig down nine cubits into the southern corner of the courtyard. There will be silver and gold vessels given as offerings, bowls, cups, sprinkling basins, libation tubes, and pitchers. All together they will total six hundred nine pieces. Dig down sixteen cubits under the eastern corner to find forty talents of silver.TR Votive vessels and priestly garments are at the northern end of the dry well located in Milham[9]. The entrance is underneath the western corner. Thirteen talents of silver coins are located three cubits beneath a trap door in the tomb in the north-east end of Milham.
Column IV
Fourteen talents of silver can be found in the pillar on the northern side of the big cistern in Kohlit. SK When you go forty-one cubits into the canal that comes from...you will find fifty-five talents of silver. Dig down three cubits in the middle of the two boulders in the Valley of Achor, and you will find two pots full of silver coins. At the mouth of the underground cavity in Aslah[10] sit two hundred talents of silver. Seventy talents of silver are located in the eastern tunnel which is to the north of Kohlit. Dig for only one cubit into the memorial mound of stones in the valley of Sekaka[11] to find twelve talents of silver.
Column V
A water conduit is located on the northern side of Sekaka. Dig down three cubits under the large stone at the head of this water conduit to discover seven talents of silver. Vessels of offering can be found in the fissure of Sekaka, which is on the eastern side of the reservoir of Solomon[12]. Twenty-three talents of silver are buried quite nearby above Solomon's Canal. To locate the exact spot, go sixty cubits toward the great stone, and dig down for three cubits. Thirty two talents of silver can be located by digging seven cubits under the tomb in the dried up riverbed of Kepah[13], which is between Jericho and Sekaka.
Column VI
Forty-two talents of silver lie underneath a scroll in an urn. To locate the urn, dig down three cubits into the northern opening of the cave of the pillar that has two entrances and faces east. Twenty-one talents of silver can be found by digging nine cubits beneath the entrance of the eastward-looking cave at the base of the large stone. Twenty-seven talents of silver can be found by digging twelve cubits into the western side of the Queen's Mausoleum[14]. Dig nine cubits into the burial mound of stones located at the Ford of the High Priest to find twenty-two talents of silver.
Column VII
To find four hundred talents of silver measure out twenty-four cubits from the water conduit of Q...of the northern reservoir with four sides[15]. Dig six cubits into the cave that is nearby Bet Ha-Qos[16] to locate six bars of silver. Dig seven cubits down under the eastern corner of the citadel of Doq[17] to find twenty-two talents of silver. Dig three cubits by the row of stones at the mouth of the Kozibah river[18] to obtain sixty talents of silver, and two talents of gold.
Column VIII
A bar of silver, ten vessels of offering, and ten books are in the aqueduct on the road that is to the east of Bet Ahsor[19], which is east of Ahzor[20]. Dig down seventeen cubits beneath the stone that lies in the middle of the sheep pen located in the outer valley to find seventeen talents of silver and gold. Dig three cubits under the burial mound of stones located at the mouth of the Potter ravine to find four talents of silver. Dig twenty-four cubits below the northward burial chamber that is located on the south-west side of the fallow field of the valley of ha-Shov to reveal sixty-six talents. Dig eleven cubits at the landmark in the irrigated land of ha-Shov and you will find seventy talents of silver.
Column IX
Measure out thirteen cubits from the small opening at the edge of Nataf[21], and then dig down seven cubits there. Seven talents of silver and four stater coins lie there. Dig down eight cubits into the eastern-looking cellar of the second estate of Chasa to obtain twenty-three and a half talents of silver. Dig sixteen cubits into the narrow, seaward-facing part of the underground chambers of Horon[22] to discover twenty-two talents of silver. A sacred offering worth one mina of silver is located at the pass. Dig down seven cubits at the edge of the conduit on the eastern side inside the waterfall to locate nine talents of silver.
Column X
When going down to the second floor, look to the small opening to find nine talents of silver coins. Twelve talents lie at the foot of the water wheel of the dried up irrigation ditches which would be fed by the great canal. Sixty-two talents of silver can be found by going to the left for ten paces at the reservoir which is in Beth Hakerem[23]. Three hundred talents of gold and twenty penalty fees can be found at the entrance to the pond of the valley Zok. The entrance is on the western side by the black stone that is held in place by two supports. Eight talents of silver can be found by digging under the western side of Absalom's Memorial[24]. Seventeen talents are located beneath the water outlet in the base of the latrines. Gold and vessels of offering are in this pool at its four angles.
Column XI
Very near there, under the southern corner of the portico in Zadok's tomb[25], beneath the pillars of the covered hall are ten vessels of offering of pine resin, and an offering of senna.
Gold coins and consecrated offerings are located under the great closing stone that is by the edge, next to the pillars that are near by the throne, and toward the tip of the rock to the west of the garden of Zadok. Forty talents of silver are buried in the grave that is under the colonnades. Fourteen votive vessels possibly of pine and resin are in the tomb of the common people and Jericho. Vessels of offering of aloes and tithe of white pine are located at Beth Esdatain, in the reservoir at the entrance of the small pool. Over nine-hundred talents of silver are next to the reservoir at the brook that runs near the western entrance of the sepulchre room.
Column XII
Five talents of gold and sixty more talent are under the black stone at the Western entrance. Forty-two talents of silver coin are in the proximity of the black stone at the threshold at the sepulchral chamber. Sixty talents of silver and vessels are in a chest that is under the stairs of the upper tunnel on Mount Garizim[26]. Six-hundred talents of silver and gold lie in the spring of Beth-Sham[27]. Treasure weighing seventy-one talents and twenty minas are in the big underground pipe of the burial chamber at the point where it joins the house of the burial chamber. A copy of this inventory list, its explanation and the measurements and details of every hidden item are in the dry underground cavity that is in the smooth rock north of Kohlit[28]. Its opening is towards the north with the tombs at its mouth.