The Museum of the Bible in Washington DC said on Monday that some its most valuable artifacts, which were believed to be part of the Dead Sea Scrolls, are fake.
German scholars who conducted tests on the 16 fragments in the museum's collection discovered that five of these have characteristics that are not consistent with ancient origins.
Jeffrey Kloha, the museum's chief curatorial officer, said that the findings nonetheless provided an opportunity to educate the public on the importance of verifying the authenticity of rare biblical artifacts.
"The museum continues to support and encourage research on these objects and others in its collection both to inform the public about leading-edge research methods and ensure our exhibits are presenting the most accurate and updated information," Kloha said in a statement.
The fragments have been on display at the museum since it opened last November along with over 3,000 other artifacts that include the first edition of the King James Bible and a page taken from the Gutenberg Bible.
Academics conducting a research funded by the museum two years ago first raised the question of the scroll's authenticity.
The museum then sent the fragments to the German material research institute Bundesanstalt für Materialforschung und-prüfung in April last year for an analysis of the sediment layers and the ink.
The findings further raised suspicions about the authenticity of the five fragments.
Scholars believe that forgers write on top or ancient scraps of leather and papyrus to make the scrolls appear authentic. The authenticity of the items, however, can be verified when the ink is tested.
Some scholars think that as many as 70 forged fragments have circulated the market over the past 16 years.
Steve Green, the evangelical founder and chairman of the museum, would not reveal how much his family spent for the 16 Dead Sea Scrolls in the museum's collection, but according to scholars, small fragments with little text can cost millions in the antiquities market.
The museum said that it will no longer display the five artifacts and will replace them with three other pieces.
