Scientists may have solved a mystery regarding the Dead Sea Scrolls.

What it means

A new study claims to have resolved a long-standing mystery about the Dead Sea Scrolls: the specific calendar used by the Qumran community. Researchers propose that the group followed a 364-day solar calendar, which explains certain holiday dates and textual anomalies found in the scrolls. The evidence draws on historical analysis of the Hasmonean period and close reading of liturgical texts among the scrolls.

Accuracy & sourcesGrounded

The claim is a secondary report from Science Daily, which typically stays close to a peer-reviewed study or official press release. The original research likely appears in an academic journal, but the headline hedges with 'may have solved,' and the actual paper may offer a more tentative conclusion. Without the full study text, the solidity of the specific calendar solution cannot be fully evaluated.

How new

This article was published on 19–20 September 2026 and reports genuinely new research (no recirculation year provided).

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