The Numen Society

The full website will be operational on Friday, 21 November 2025 and the ability to donate or join as a member will be launching shortly.

The Numen Society is a growing collaboration of professional scholars and others committed to the preservation and research of the lead codices, through scientific study and academic debate.

In 2011, the discovery of a cache of ancient relics in caves in Northern Jordan – including up to 70 lead codices – was announced on BBC News Worldwide.

The codices may well be the earliest form of book discovered to date. They contain extensive writings and remarkable imagery. All of it wrought in lead, silver or gold.

Our mission is to raise funds to enable us to test and accrue further scientific data that will provide unique insight into these historically, culturally, and theologically significant artefacts. The groundbreaking new helium extraction technology, conceived by Professor Roger Webb at the Ion Beam Centre, University of Surrey, can date each codex to within a few years of its manufacture. This will historically situate the codices, giving confidence and context to the scholars and translators currently researching and interpreting the inscription and iconography on the codices.

Our membership-based society provides a space for scholars and researchers to share their findings and engage in fair, open-minded academic debate.

There is also a membership tier for general members of the public who would like to support the project and are interested in keeping up with the latest news and research surrounding the codices.