Jan Bartek – AncientPages.com – The Jordan Codices are a set of sealed books discovered in Jordan that have captivated scientists and historians alike. Some scholars have proposed that these lead “books” could date back to the early Christian era, a period when sealed books held particular significance in religious visions and teachings.
However, their authenticity remains highly contested. While some believe the codices are genuine artifacts from the 1st century CE, others argue they may be modern creations intended as tourist souvenirs or even deliberate forgeries.
Scientists study a sample from the Jordan codices. Credit: University of Surrey, AncientPages.com
Analysis Of The Jordan Codices
To address these uncertainties, researchers have undertaken comprehensive scientific analyses to determine the true origin of the Jordan Codices. The most detailed assessment to date has been conducted by a team at the University of Surrey’s Ion Beam Centre. This study offers new insights into whether these enigmatic objects can indeed be traced back to early Christianity or if they are products of more recent times, contributing valuable information to an ongoing scholarly debate.
In this recent study, researchers found that while the outer pages of one of the books showed signs of contamination from environmental exposure—making age determination difficult—the inner pages were much less affected and provided clear scientific evidence that they are at least 200 years old, if not older.
The research team collaborated with the University of Glasgow, the Scottish Universities Environmental Research Centre, and the University of Vienna to analyze samples from the books using four different techniques: trace-element analysis, lead-isotope measurements, alpha-particle tests, and radiogenic helium analysis. These methods helped assess both the composition and likely age of the lead used in the codices.
Although no single technique could establish an exact age on its own, combining their results offered a more comprehensive understanding of how various parts of these ancient texts were created.
The Age of The Jordan Codices Remains Unknown
Current tests have not established a definitive age older than 200 years for the codices, but they also do not exclude that possibility. This leaves room for further analysis using more advanced and precise testing methods in the future.
Jordan codices sample. Credit: University of Surrey.
While the study could not confirm that the codices date back to the early Christian period, it also did not provide evidence that they are of modern origin. However, determining their true age remains challenging due to significant inconsistencies in the samples and higher-than-expected background contamination. As a result, more comprehensive investigation is necessary to achieve conclusive results about when these books were manufactured.
“Our aim throughout this work has been to bring rigorous, objective science to a subject that has attracted a great deal of speculation. I have been examining these materials since 2011, and as our analytical techniques have become more advanced, the picture has become more nuanced. Some parts of the codices appear modern, while others show characteristics of older lead that we cannot explain using contemporary materials. We have been unable to prove that they are truly ancient, but we have also not been able to prove that all of the objects are modern. We have seen some codices that have tested to be modern, but others clearly test as older than 200 years – thus as far back as our currently successful tests can go,” Professor Roger Webb, Director of Surrey’s Ion Beam Centre and lead author of the study, said in a press release.
The Surrey Ion Beam Centre is the lead site for the UK National Ion Beam Centre and is equipped with state-of-the-art ion implanters and analysis facilities used across disciplines ranging from quantum technologies to materials science and biosciences.
As part of its mission, the centre also applies ion-beam techniques to cultural heritage and art conservation, including studies of timbers from the Cutty Sark and analyses used to assess whether a ‘Leonardoesque’ painting could be attributed to Leonardo Da Vinci. These capabilities allow researchers to investigate materials at microscopic and atomic scales, providing the precision needed for studies such as this.
“At the Surrey Ion Beam Centre, we routinely apply these techniques to everything from quantum devices to cultural heritage objects, and our study shows just how powerful ion-beam analysis can be.
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The fact that some key samples cannot be shown to be modern provides a strong scientific basis for scholars to take the codices seriously and for further, more advanced testing to be carried out,” Professor Webb added.
The study was published in Elsevier’s Nuclear Instruments and Methods in Physics Research B: Beam Interactions with Materials.
Written by Jan Bartek – AncientPages.com Staff Writer