Copper Scroll

[mafreche]

Since I’m new to this site I did not know what to expect I’m pleased to see people asking the right questions.
Some history on the Scroll –  It was bought by a clergyman around the time of the Kennedy assassination. Purchased from an Egyptian agent working out of Lebanon. 
The clergyman purchased it for spiritual reasons not financial gain and held on to it for over 40 years. Not until his son died did he consider selling it to help out his son’s family. After much consideration he agreed to sell and I agreed to buy it. It is not cheap we are talking eight figures.
Since it has been in my possession I have taken it to an expert on the Dead Sea scrolls from the University of California. The expert has confirmed that it is not a Dead Sea Scroll however in his opinion it does come from the Qumran area of the Middle East.
Next I had the material analyzed by a reputable Analytical Laboratory the findings were almost 100% Copper with Carbon Iron growth on the exterior and some smaller elements indicative of aging while sitting in a cave.
Next stop was the Carbon dating testing Lab at the University of Arizona the same lab that dated the Shroud of Turin. Unfortunately they could not help metal cannot be dated and the white carbon growth on the Scroll would not give an accurate date.
Next stop Harvard they had no idea what the text was and no clue of its origin perhaps a dead language. The Scroll is habit forming the more you come in contact with it the more you want to be around it. I have no doubt that I have something that is very special.
I do of course want to make money off it I do have a mortgage I would like to pay off but more than that I want to solve this Mystery what does it say where does it come from what is its significance.  Thank you all for your interest and if there is anyone serious enough to get involved they will not regret it.

[luxetveritas]

Wow, interesting scroll! I have a friend that collects antiquities, I'll ask him to take a look. If you're interested in selling, I'm always interested in buying a nice antiquity

[mafreche]

Yes will sell but price is very high!!!!!

[regularjoe2]

It's easy to have translated/deciphered by an expert .
Easy to be valued also .

How do you know that this Luach Nehoshet is from Qumran area , mafreche ?

Could you post it's dimentions , please .

[mafreche]

It's 2 1/2 wide and 20 inches long. Can you give me contact information for interpertation and value?

[luxetveritas]

What was the price you had in mind? My email is oh2beayalie@gmail.com I think it is such a beautiful scroll, I don't know much about it, but I have always kind of wanted one.

[regularjoe2]

mafreche , I'd suggest that the very first thing to do is to get your present documented provenance for this item neat , complete , and fully clear .

If you have no provenance , you've got a research project on your hands .

There's been a few copper scrolls out of China that have even stumped the experts ( for awhile ) , so if a person has just got word-of-mouth 'documentation' , I suggest a healthy dose of sceptical investigation ( even with a good provenance ) .

...but that's just one fellows' opinion .

[luxetveritas]

I was about ready to ask for provenance myself. I haven't seen a lot of good fakes of these, but I am obviously not an expert- just collected ancient Chinese bronzes and coppers for a while (throughout my life I have had various states of interest in certain categories of antiques, they are all so interesting, and make a pretty fair investment)!

[regularjoe2]

Thanks for posting additional information , mafreche .

If you have not done so yet , I'd suggest that you have a high-quality digital scan (photographic) done on the front & back of your item (with a couple of back-up discs too) .

As I mentioned in an earlier post , it's easy to have translation performed by experts ( it's not always quick or simple , though ) .

Have you consulted with folks in the Middle-East , or others in the U.S. that you didn't mention in your post ?

My big question is really about what your primary intent is with your item ... seems like it's multi-faceted , from what I've read so far .
I do understand that long-term costs can be a concern (insurance , proper storage etc.) ... BTW , is it's value , according to your insurance Co. , enough to cover your investment in the event of a loss (another big consideration) ?

[KC]

What country are in you in?

It seems that you have been to the top experts according to your posts and you still have questions.

The next step would be to find someone who specializes in dead languages.  Contact schools that have archaeological departments and get their recommendations on who are experts in this area- after all they deal with this quite often.  I knew a professor that worked at the University of Texas many years ago that dealt with that all of the time (and have a lamp that is dated 300BC from him).  I can try and track him down but I heard he moved to the middle east several years ago.

The point that regularjoe2 made is one that many don't think about.  The amount that you put into this piece ($$$ purchase which you posted was 8 figures and costs for interpretation/dating/insurance/special storage if needed) is it less than or equal to the amount for the loss of your investment should a downfall occur?  The next questions is...with all you have had done up to this point and cost of purchase....can you possible recoup the amount you have already invested?  (So many times we have all helped out a friend and paid $$$ for items that we were not able to recoup the monies which in small dollar amounts is okay.  However, the amount that you have written you invested.......)

[mafreche]

I will try and answer all questions. Thankyou regularjoe and KC. Other people have also mentioned having the electron microscopy scanning done and at some point I will do that. I"m in the northeast and in this state I would need an appraisal in order to insure it for what its really worth but have not found the right person to appraise it yet. I have shown it to appraiser's but always the same response they have no idea what language it is so they cannot or will not appraise it. As far as my intent I will sell it if the right deal comes along if not I will hang on and enjoy it. It really is captivating. I could use some research help like who is the right person to interpit it and such. Also I have not contacted anyone from the Middle East directly there have been stories where people have been force to return items to countries so I'm shy about that. Anyway once again Thankyou for your input. I purchased an industrial microscope capable of capturing and posting photos 10x. I will post another.

[luxetveritas]

Again, this is such an interesting scroll, and what a nice piece of history! I, unfortunately, cannot afford an 8 figure scroll So I think I'll have to pass, sorry! I was actually thinking around much, much less. Anyway, I am really interested to see what you find.

[D&b antiques]

it's in the right time frame to be Ancient Aramaic.

[luxetveritas]

Oh, I just remembered something that could very well make a pretty big difference in your research. There is an antiquities forum on Yahoo Groups, they know all there is to know about stuff like this and I am sure that someone there would be able to give you some information regarding your scroll.

You can find them at: http://groups.yahoo.com/group/Ancientartifacts/

[mafreche]

To D&B Ancient Aramaic yes I was thinking the same thing any idea how I can prove it?