Study of the color of ancient tefillin sheds light on the history of Jewish Law

A new study led by Yonatan Adler, Ariel University, analyzes the color of more than 2000-year-old tefillin found in the Qumran Desert, the same site where the Dead Sea Scrolls were discovered. 

The main discovery of the research is that, at that time, the natural color of the leather was maintained, instead of being dyed black as required by contemporary Jewish Law. 

The study was published in the journal PLOS ONE. Its main author explained that “this is a very important discovery. “It is the first time that tefillin have been scientifically examined to determine their color.” 

The study was carried out by researchers from Ariel University in conjunction with the Israel Antiquities Authority (IAA), the University of Exeter (United Kingdom) and the Weizmann Institute of Sciences.

Eagle explained that “our testing has shown that where leather appears dark, it is the result of a natural process and not intentional dyeing.” To verify this, the scientists used multispectral imaging methodology, and three types of spectroscopy, Raman, ATR-FTIR and SEM/EDX.