Editing Copper Scroll (section)

==Contents==
The text is an inventory of 64 locations; 63 of which are treasures of gold and silver, which have been estimated in the tons. For example, one single location described on the copper scroll describes 900 talents (30.05 [[ton|tons]]/ 868,000 [[Troy weight|troy ounces]]) of buried silver.<ref>{{Cite book |last=Michael O. Wise, Martin G. Abegg Jr., Edward M. Cook |title=Dead Sea scrolls: A new translation |isbn=978-0060766627 |pages=191}}</ref> Tithing vessels are also listed among the entries, along with other vessels, and three locations featured scrolls. One entry apparently mentions [[Kohanim|priestly]] vestments. The final listing points to a duplicate document with additional details. That other document has not been found.

The following English translation of the opening lines of the first column of the Copper Scroll shows the basic structure of each of the entries in the scroll. The structure is 1) general location, 2) specific location, often with distance to dig, and 3) what to find.

<poem>
:1:1 In the ruin that is in the valley of [[Achor|Acor]], under
:1:2 the steps, with the entrance at the East,
:1:3 a distance of forty cubits: a strongbox of silver and its vessels
:1:4 with a weight of seventeen [[Talent (measurement)|talents]]. {{lang|grc|KεN}}<ref>{{cite book |author=Michael Wise |author2=Martin Abegg Jr |author3=Edward Cook |title=A New Translation: The Dead Sea Scrolls|year=2005|publisher=Harper Collins Publisher|location=New York|isbn=978-0-06-076662-7|page=[https://archive.org/details/deadseascrollsne00wise/page/214 214]|url=https://archive.org/details/deadseascrollsne00wise/page/214}}</ref>{{efn|The three letters at the end are Greek.}}</poem>

There is a minority view that the [[Cave of Letters]] might have contained one of the listed treasures,<ref>{{cite web|url=https://www.pbs.org/wgbh/nova/transcripts/3118_scrolls.html |title=NOVA &#124; Ancient Refuge in the Holy Land |publisher=Pbs.org |access-date=2015-11-26}}</ref> and, if so, artifacts from this location may have been recovered. Although the scroll was made of alloyed copper in order to last, the locations are written as if the reader would have an intimate knowledge of obscure references. For example, consider column two, verses 1–3, "In the salt pit that is under the steps: forty-one talents of silver. In the cave of the old washer's chamber, on the third terrace: sixty-five ingots of gold."<ref>{{cite book |author=Michael Wise |author2=Martin Abegg Jr |author3=Edward Cook |title=A New Translation: The Dead Sea Scrolls|year=2005|publisher=Harper Collins Publisher|location=New York|isbn=978-0-06-076662-7|page=[https://archive.org/details/deadseascrollsne00wise/page/215 215]|url=https://archive.org/details/deadseascrollsne00wise/page/215}}</ref> As noted above, the listed treasure has been estimated in the tons. There are those who understand the text to be enumerating the vast treasure that was 'stashed,' where the Romans could not find it. Others still suggest that the listed treasure is that which [[Bar Kokhba]] hid during the Second Revolt.<ref name="vanderkam92" /> Although it is difficult to estimate the exact amount, "it was estimated in 1960 that the total would top $1,000,000 U.S."<ref>{{cite web|last=Lundber|first=Marilyn|title=The Copper Scroll (3Q15)|url=http://www.usc.edu/dept/LAS/wsrp/educational_site/dead_sea_scrolls/copperscroll.shtml|work=West Semitic Research Project|access-date=4 April 2011|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20110303234829/http://www.usc.edu/dept/LAS/wsrp/educational_site/dead_sea_scrolls/copperscroll.shtml|archive-date=3 March 2011}}</ref>