Those of you interested in the technical end of our project may like to know how we intend to check below the surface at Qumran.  Below is the verbiage from the packet delivered to the ADCA with additional information to explain the process further.  We have a deep penetrating metal detector from White’s Metal Detector Company that is amazing and a Geo-Logger from a Company out of Louisiana.  Combined they give an excellent image of larger metal objects or clusters of objects up to twenty feet deep, perfect for our needs.  White’s was fantastic in assisting us in selecting the correct detector for the job in Israel and was totally supportive.  I encourage those of you who are wondering how we plan to test for Temple and Tabernacle artifacts to read our post under “Nuggets from the Copper Scroll”

Non-Invasive Electronic Testing at Qumran

With great respect to the IAA members involved in the modest excavation at Qumran in April 2009, it is well understood the penetration level was far less than required by the notes on the scroll to sufficiently test the site. The thousands of years of blowing dust and the fact that our efforts never even reached the starting point of the CS, makes that fact obvious. That detail alone may be sufficient to convince those in authority to press for a full and comprehensive examination of Qumran.

 Israel leadership is known for its intellect and probably has back-up plans to prevent the West Bank from coming under foreign rule and protect Israel’s historic items. But, since the items of the CS are in the so called West Bank, the thought of those artifacts falling into the hands of “anyone” other than Israel is of great concern to me and The Copper Scroll Project team. 

Electronic Testing Equipment

The Electronic scanning of the Qumran grounds will be conducted using non-destructive, non-invasive testing to insure protection of the ancient ruins of Qumran. Our team desires to protect the grounds and ruins for future generations so, we have researched and found a metal detector that will penetrate to the depth needed and give graphic images pinpointing any remaining metal relics under the surface.

 Testing Equipment and Technique for using the 
White’s TM 808 metal detector

The primary device for testing at Qumran is a White’s TM 808 metal detector and an Arc-Geo Logger that produces an image of subsurface metal objects. Properly adjusted for soil mineral content this piece of equipment will electronically penetrate the soil at Qumran to a reported depth of 6 meters. The metal detector consists of an oscillator producing an alternating current through the front coil creating an alternating magnetic field.  If a piece of electrically conductive metal is close to the coil, eddy currents will be induced in the metal, creating an alternating electric field of its own. The rear coil measures the electric field acting as a magnetometer detecting and producing an audible tone and a computer image. The chart provided with the photo below gives an indication of the depth capability of the TM 808 based on the size of the metal object below the surface. This device, coupled with the Arc-Geo Logger, produces sufficient information to detect approximate size, depth and location of solid metal objects larger than an average cell phone eliminating troublesome bottle caps and small items of metal scraps.

The Arc-Geo Logger

The Arc-Geo Logger pictured below is an electronic device used to convert the signals from the TM 808 into computer images similar to the picture provided. Although the color selection can be changed, the color scheme depicted is the one that will be used when we test Qumran. The red dot indicates metal below the surface of the ground scaled to the size of the selected grid to pinpoint buried objects.  Because of the ancient ruins at Qumran it is necessary to accurately identify the location of the objects prior to digging to prevent damage to the structures.

The Combined Technique for the TM 808 and the Geo-Logger

Before testing begins a grid is laid out in one-meter squares.  Depending on the size of the Qumran location to be tested, the grid will be as small as two by two meters and as large as thirty by twenty meters.  Because of the potential for multiple targets in several locations it will be possible to compare the scale map developed by the research with the resultant image produced by the digital scan.  If the scan image matches the map location markings we have a winner.  If only a portion of the detected targets match the map we still have a winner but we will assume that some of the items listed on the CS have been removed for use in the Second Temple, stolen or I made a mistake and the items are in a near-by location.  The image will still be identifiable and an examination of the positive image makes it possible to identify and recover the valuables, properly recording the location for historic reasons.

 

With the grid in place, measured and marked with tiny stakes, a specific pattern must be followed or the image will give an inaccurate reading and measurements.  The Geo Logger is designed to record the image in pieces, like taking multiple photos of the subsurface targets and pasting them in exact order on a board, creating a detailed composite.  With each measured step a reading is taken, similar to taking a photo, the logger automatically records the image and begins to digitally arrange them into the desired composite.  That composite will be measurable, and to scale giving a reliable “outline” and map of the target or targets but with little or no detail.  The amalgamated picture will be more than sufficient to guide the subsequent excavation preventing hit or miss techniques that could possible damage the less stable structures near any particular location.

The image above is a six-inch thin wall aluminum pipe buried at 3 feet at the top, going into a gradual slope to 10 feet at the bottom of the picture, a distance of 25 feet long.  The depth could be measured at both ends because the red dot at the top of the picture is a manhole that we opened and measured down to the pipe.  On the bottom the edge of the picture is a small cliff where the pipe came out of the ground making it possible to measure down to the pipe as it went suspended in the air to the next manhole some distance away.  Notice how the image begins to fade from red to green as the pipe gets deeper.  The red dot to the left near the bottom is an example of “not doing it right.”  That image should be shifted to the right in-line with the rest of the green.  If the equipment will pick up a small, minimal density pipe from 3 to 10 feet, imagine what it will do with large amounts of dense metal at 12 to 15 feet. 

Contingency Request for a Follow-up Confirmation Test

Should the testing and images indicate significant metal below the surface correlating with the Copper Scroll Project maps and resembling locations marked by my research, we will request to do a bore test after consulting with IAA officials. Should the IAA agree that the electronic testing has provided sufficient evidence that relics described on the Copper Scroll may exist, a simple bore test can be done under their supervision.

The bore test will be done with a common heavy drill and a two-inch drill bit. The hole will be large enough to allow a tiny camera (pictured here) into area of the relics for examination. The camera has four LED lights built into the housing to allow sufficient light for video recording as we probe. If the video indicates that objects of interest are under the surface at Qumran, then an excavation done by the IAA should be conducted with my team observing and assisting as needed. We on the Copper Scroll Project fully realize that the treasures of the Copper Scroll have belonged and will always belong to Israel.