Fake Dead Sea Scrolls

This article provides an overview of the entire history of fake Dead Sea Scrolls, from the earliest fake fragments presented to Roland de Vaux in 1952 to the post-2002 forgeries. It then looks at two putative Iron Age papyri that have emerged more recently, the “Jerusalem Papyrus” and the “Ishmael Papyrus,” reviewing problems concerning the acquisition and ownership history of these items as well as evidence suggesting that they are forgeries. The article offers a model for understanding the appearance of specific types of forgeries, and uses this model to suggest a relationship between the rise and fall of fake Dead Sea Scrolls and the market for authentic examples.