Subject: Re: tc-list CPART GNT text Project

From: Vincent Broman <[email-masked]>
Date: Wed, 3 Mar 1999 13:49:57 -0800 (PST)

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[email-masked] asked:
> I've received a bit of information from our library about a project being
> organized by CPART on the GNT text....
> Does anyone know more about this project and its scope, participants, backing,
> etc.?

I wish I did, it sounds interesting.
As far as I can gather, CPART was/is an interdisciplinary group
at BYU and the ABMC that worked on radioisotope dating of DSS MSS
and on a searchable CD edition of the DSS texts and fragments.
Someone there was working on multispectral imaging of carbonized MSS
from Petra to recover otherwise invisible text.  I imagine
that they are trying to expand and branch out with a new Greek project.

Vincent Broman                                       San Diego, California, USA
Email: broman at sd.znet.com (home)       or spawar.navy.mil or nosc.mil (work)
Phone: +1 619 284 3775                       Starship: 32d42m22s N 117d14m13s W
=== PGPv2 protected mail preferred. For public key finger me at np.nosc.mil ===

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From: [email-masked]
Date: Thu, 4 Mar 1999 10:09:31 EST

>  that they are trying to expand and branch out with a new Greek project.
Speaking of this, I was in Salt Lake City several weeks ago on business and
heard a presentation on BYU public radio about this project. What little I
heard had to do with DNA testing of the different animal skins which were (if
memory serves me correctly) were primarily bovine. They were examined to see
if the different skins were of the same animal or from the same herd (which
would have a similar DNA sequence as they would be related). At least one hide
was of an animal similar to the local species of antelope. A rather striking
find was that the hides were contaminated with human DNA. The testing team
thought they had contaminated the specimens. This was not the case. What they
concluded was that the DNA of the author of the scrolls was present on them
from having such intimate contact with them. I find it incredulous that the
genetic character of the scribe who wrote this and that scroll is available to
us in great detail.  

Regards,

Jack Jackson