"Dead Sea Scrolls" Season 2 Episode 10

The episode "Dead Sea Scrolls" first aired on February 9, 1978 . The narration was written and produced by Robert Long.

I've read a bit about the Dead Sea Scrolls before watching this, but I went into my re-watch trying to not let the most recent information influence my watching. I like how Nimoy starts this episode by taking us back into the past. Who doesn't enjoy seeing Roman Legions in reenactment?

Nimoy makes reference to a Jewish sect known as the "Essenes" who have been associated with the scrolls, but he hasn't yet said anything about the scrolls which is a good production choice, I like the idea of setting the context. After the "In Search Of... "music he continues with the history lesson. He mixes video from modern Jerusalem with a description of what it would have been like centuries ago. He tells us, "Jerusalem is a city wearied by war" reminding us of the violence and conflict in the Middle East that continues to this day. He tells us how nearby Bethlehem, known as the birthplace of Christ, was also known as a trading hub for Nomads. In 1947, we are told, a Nomad four this way to a small shop planning to sell a "rotting parchment" he had found in the desert. Nimoy describes kind of an oasis in the desert where water has flowed "for as long as history has been recorded". Nimoy tells us about "Ein Feshkha" and how during the Six Day War, Israel pushed Jordan from the area and was currently in possession of the area. Nimoy tells us about Israel's intentions in the Six Day War and how this has resulted in a harsh life along the West Bank.

He next tells us of a place known as Masada, today reachable by cable car, but in ancient times only accessible by a perilous climb. More history from Nimoy as he talks about the Zealots and how the city where they lived was fortified. More video of Roman Legions! Nimoy explains how the Romans conquered the area. After three years of fighting, Nimoy tells us the Zealots new the end was near. Here is where things get interesting!

Apparently the drew lots to chose a man to oversee their own deaths rather than surrender. They had heard about Qumran, a settlement of Jews who had been defeated by the Romans earlier. We learn how the Jews there innovated a series of canals to bring water to their settlement. He also describes their government style and how they used what he describes as "ritual cleansing". While talking about this we see video from the modern ruins of Qumran. He explains how they conducted their lives and kept records of their beliefs, their government, and their society on scrolls which were stored in clay jars.

According to the Roman historian Josephus, there was a terrible earthquake in 31 BC. Perhaps the community scattered to the hills as a result of this earthquake? There is evidence today of new construction at the settlement following the earthquake.

Next, Nimoy talks about the Bedouin and how they lived a nomadic lifestyle for centuries. Back to the Nomad in 1947 now. We learn his name was Muhammed edh-Dhib. He was chasing a stray goat and was unable to read or write when he went into a cave and found the clay pots with the scrolls in them that would become known as the Dead Sea Scrolls.

Our first guest of the episode! Professor John C. Trever (who sadly passed away in 2006) tells us how he was a Fellow at the American School of Oriental Research in Jerusalem when he became the first scholar to see the scrolls in 1947. He would go on to publish two books on the subject (one before the airing of this episode and one after) and teach at several Colleges in the US. You can hear the excitement in his voice as he explains what happened. The Bedouin agent was trying to figure out their worth, only to discover they were worth much more than they thought. Isn't this the way most valuable treasures are discovered?

Trever's take-away is the notion that the scrolls were about a thousand years older than the previously known Biblical manuscripts. Jordanian authorities stepped in to help secure the location under the notion that there would be more scrolls in the cave. Nimoy tells us that as word moved faster than the Jordanian police, the Bedouins in the area likely picked the caves clean before they could be secured. Eventually, scroll fragments were purchased from the Bedouin. It's implied that there may have been other scrolls recovered not yet known to scholars.

Nimoy explains the importance of the scrolls to us. "Basically the scrolls provide a two thousand year old verification of the accuracy of the Old Testament as known to modern men. The uniformity of the versions was astonishing." Nimoy tells us of another discovery made in Qumran in 1952 that amounts to an accoutering of buried treasure. Nimoy asks, "Could this be the lost treasure of Jerusalem lost in the Roman attack of 70AD?" Whoa... I had to look this one up. A few minutes down this rabbit hole revealed a documentary made in 1972 for the BBC by a British man named Henry Lincoln, who by seem accounts, inspired Dan Brown's character of Robert Langdon in the Da Vinci Code Books. Apparently Mr. Lincoln based his assertions on some found documents that were much later shown to be forgeries. Thus discrediting the notion of a lost treasure of Jerusalem. This would have happened years after this episode aired so we can forgive Nimoy for mentioning it.

After this brief interlude he talks more about the Biblical significance of the region almost as if he is telling us there could be more hidden in the area that would verify Biblical manuscripts or even reveal never before recorded stories form the era. He tells us we know the sect there believe they were living in the final days before "judgment day" anticipating the "apocalypse".


According to Nimoy, "The written contributions of Qumran live on today in Jerusalem's Shrine of the Book. Qumran's spirit is alive too. Many of today's Jews are following the traditions established there so long ago."

Nimoy has us with remarks perhaps influenced by his own belief in Judaism?

"All who believe in faith are in some way indebted to the people who labored in the desert to preserve it. Qumran was destroyed and its inhabitants put to the sword. Perhaps, however, the ultimate victory that they prayed for was theirs after all?" An interesting statement from Nimoy. Is he implying that the collapse of the Roman Empire and persistence of Judaism today is evidence of this? Or is he implying something else?

Less than 2 minutes left and we see Nimoy for the first time in this entire episode! I'm loving the White coat with the oversized collar here!

He makes reference to a map and tells us that the East Bank has been untouched and may have treasures to discover. He makes a vague allusion to the conflict on the West Bank and implies its this conflict that explains why more treasure there have not been discovered. But he says "maybe someday" when peace comes to the area.

Maybe its because I'm not all that religious, but I thought this episode was a bit boring. I'm a historian and I appreciate the intriguing aspects of history, but I jus thought these stories were not intriguing enough. I think it may be because Nimoy feels in 1977 that the tip o the iceberg has been seen and more important information is out there to be found, and yet, it has now been 40 years and no major discoveries have come from the Dead Sea Scrolls or anything else in the area. It just feels like the Dead Sea Scrolls may have once sparked mystery and curiosity, but not so much today. I prefer the episodes that feel like if the mystery is solved it could radically alter our perception fo the world and this episode didn't feel like that. I say "A" for effort, but feel free to skip it!

You can watch this episode "Dead Scrolls" below.

"Pyramid Secrets" Season 2 Episode 9

The episode "Pyramid Secrets" first aired on February 4, 1978 . The narration was written and produced by Robert Long.

I'm back! Just a little 5 year hiatus... but enough about me! As I watch this episode I realized that the music plays a role in taking me back to watching this in my youth. There is something mysterious about it (and yes definitely a 70's style score!) that signals a mystery. They really started the teaser off getting us to want for more by waiting a full minute into it before showing any pyramids!

Nimoy tells us, "Cairo is often called the intellectual Capitol of the world." I wondered if this was still true? A quick Google search seems to indicate that what Nimoy meant was that due to its history and the achievement of Ancient History it is known as the intellectual Capitol of the world. Implying this is due to its significance as a starting place, not a reflection of its current state. I'm reminded that one of the many things I love about this show is how Nimoy is always asking questions. I am a teacher and I value the power of questions. When he asks about the Ancient Egyptians, "What must they have been like?" you can hear the genuine interest in his voice. He follows this with some basic facts about farming in the ancient world and a genuine admiration for what they were able to accomplish. Its intriguing see how Nimoy vaguely refers to the substantial amount of food and resources they would have needed to build the pyramids, but avoids specific details. In the end he finishes without getting into those details and revealing how impossible the task may seem. Instead he simply says they did all of this and it was incredible, "unless there was another way". In a foreshadowing of the Ancient Aliens series, Nimoy is leaving the door open for the like of Erich Von Daniken whose book "Chariots of the Gods?" was published in 1968 and likely known to Nimoy. But rather than explore this, he moves on by discussing similar pyramids in the Yucatan peninsula.

Rather than indulge the speculative, Nimoy turns to science by digging into what set the Egyptian pyramids apart, that is their ability to create "true pyramids". He tells us the tale of the first known pyramid commissioned by "Zoser" (also known as Djoser). It appears to Nimoy, and is plausible to us, that they were experimenting with design in the construction of different pyramids, seeming to perfect their work each time they built one. In an almost incomprehensible statement Nimoy almost dismissively tells us the experiments lasted about 1000 years with 80 pyramids surviving.

"The Glory days of the pyramid age came around 2500 BC when the Pharaoh Cheops ordered a pyramid built at Giza. The angles were steep and the scale gargantuan." My favorite part of this episode is the hands-on demonstration that follows. Nimoy, clad in an all-white 70's style jump suit with sleeves rolled up handles a pyramid model to explain what is known about its construction.

Again a question, "How many years of labor must it have taken to move those blocks?" We learn that the Ancient Greek Historian Herodotus was told it was built in 30 years by a rotating group of workers numbering in excess of 120,000 men. Nimoy takes a few minutes to discuss the other impressive accomplishments of the Ancient Egyptians. He makes the point clear, what they created was so unusual and impressive that if all we had to judge them were these pyramids and related monuments we wold have to assume "they were a race of giants". More questions from Nimoy about the mysteries of the Sphinx and the pyramids. He takes a few moments to tell a tale of a treasure hunter who broke into the Great Pyramid and found nothing. More hands-on from Nimoy follows with a look inside the Great Pyramid. He explains the chambers and hooks our interest by explaining that deep inside is the King's Chamber and "one of the most perplexing mysteries of all".

Nimoy explains other mysteries about the construction of the pyramid and some theories that might explain their purpose. He concludes that the Egyptians must have had an advance knowledge of Astronomy due to how perfectly attuned they are to the stars. Nimoy now goes down the road of "pyramid power" by focusing on the pyramid shape. He tells us that some people believe pyramids in general have unusual power. Nimoy explains how some have claimed pyramids have thought be able to provide miracles, everything from "enhancing sexual potency to mummifying meat and sharpening razor blades". From here he spends some time admiring and reflecting on the "ways of the Ancients" and how little is still known about them. Nimoy transitions to the use of pyramids as tombs and resting places for mummies. He explains the process they used to mummify and how scientists today are studying mummies "not to bring them to life of course" but to learn from them. I'm honestly not sure if he was joking with that line or being serious?

He talks about what the Egyptians believed about the voyage into the afterlife and how it may correspond to the construction of pyramids. Finally we hear the famous story of Howard Carter who was the first to open King Tutankhamen's tomb. But since this is a mystery show, you know Nimoy also has to delve into the supposed curse and how it effected Carter's excavation. For shock value, Nimoy explains how living workers sealed the tomb from the inside, implying the workers died inside, but he quickly reveals a hidden and crude passageway likely explains how they got out.

The episode is almost over before we meet our first guest. Stanford University's Lambert Dolphin.

Dr. Dolphin appears to be living happily in retirement now (http://www.ldolphin.org/LTDres.html). We learn from Nimoy that back in 1978 he is studying the pyramid and Nimoy gives him the floor to share what he has learned. Much of what he says is geologic information. What's interesting is he quickly dismisses the possibility of Alien construction and the concept of pyramid power, using evidence from his study of the pyramid. "I don't believe the Egyptians needed some sort of esoteric out of space technology to do what they did. What they did was impressive." We learn that Dr. Dolphin is pioneering a new technology for looking inside pyramids with sound waves. Though they have learned much, Dr. Dolphin explains there are still unknowns, revealing a hidden chamber yet to be explored. This is followed by cool music signaling to us that the nugget just revealed is a big one!

Nimoy begins his concluding comments by reflecting on how a tour of the Treasures of King Tutankhamen in the US has been very popular, likely because the mystery is so popular. He speculates that maybe people are growing dissatisfied with the modern world and turning to the ancients as a result. He allows Dr. Dolphin to talk about the mysteries of the ancients and why we should care. And now time for the payoff, the "so what?". Nimoy says, "Their monuments may one day lead us to rediscover the greater wonder that is the mind of man." Hmmmm, prior to this statement when in this episode was the human mind mentioned? It feels like a bit of a leap to me, but I guess he is saying the Egyptians couldn't have built the pyramids unless they possessed some sort of knowledge that we don't understand? Interesting!

I thought this episode was better than the last few. It feels a little like a precursor to the Ancient Aliens series except Nimoy didn't have the guts to come out and say what he was implying. I guess maybe in the 70's the thought was not enough of the audience was ready for such bold assertions, or maybe they were more concerned about making assertions with solid evidence back then? I liked the mood and the explanations of the construction and why they were so mysterious. This is a solid episode for me to make a comeback! More new posts coming soon!

You can watch this episode "Pyramid Secrets" below.