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Museum Tour: The Dead Sea Scrolls

  • 'Dead Sea Scrolls: Life in Ancient Times' presents one of the most comprehensive collections of Israeli antiquities ever organized, including one of the largest collections of the priceless Dead<br>Sea Scrolls.
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    Travel Museum of Science Dead Sea Scrolls

    'Dead Sea Scrolls: Life in Ancient Times' presents one of the most comprehensive collections of Israeli antiquities ever organized, including one of the largest collections of the priceless Dead
    Sea Scrolls.
    Darryl Moran/The Franklin Institute
  • View of the gallery where the scrolls are on display. The scrolls will be dramatically presented within a 25-foot-diameter Communal Scroll Table which features 10 individual chambers, one for each scroll, along with the full English translation, a large high-resolution image and a detailed explanation of each scroll’s significance.
    2/8

    Travel Museum of Science Dead Sea Scrolls

    View of the gallery where the scrolls are on display. The scrolls will be dramatically presented within a 25-foot-diameter Communal Scroll Table which features 10 individual chambers, one for each scroll, along with the full English translation, a large high-resolution image and a detailed explanation of each scroll’s significance.
    Darryl Moran/The Franklin Institute
  • A visitor looks at the exhibit on display.
    3/8

    Travel Museum of Science Dead Sea Scrolls

    A visitor looks at the exhibit on display.
    Darryl Moran/The Franklin Institute
  • The centerpiece of Dead Sea Scrolls: Life in Ancient Times encompasses 20 rare fragments from the Dead Sea Scrolls collection, some never before exhibited.
    4/8

    Travel Museum of Science Dead Sea Scrolls

    The centerpiece of Dead Sea Scrolls: Life in Ancient Times encompasses 20 rare fragments from the Dead Sea Scrolls collection, some never before exhibited.
    Darryl Moran/The Franklin Institute
  • Inscriptions and seals, known as “bulla,” such as the Archer Seal, provide invaluable information about the iconography and personal imagery of the period. Other artifacts add to the picture – including weapons, stone carvings, terracotta figurines, remains of religious symbols, coins, shoes, textiles, mosaics, ceramics, and jewelry.
    5/8

    Travel Museum of Science Dead Sea Scrolls

    Inscriptions and seals, known as “bulla,” such as the Archer Seal, provide invaluable information about the iconography and personal imagery of the period. Other artifacts add to the picture – including weapons, stone carvings, terracotta figurines, remains of religious symbols, coins, shoes, textiles, mosaics, ceramics, and jewelry.
    Darryl Moran/The Franklin Institute
  • In addition to the scrolls and other artifacts, the exhibit features a timeline and multimedia presentations that enliven the story and provide context. Topics include the discovery of the<br>scrolls, a look at the arid environment where the scrolls survived undisturbed for nearly two millennia, and the painstaking process through which the scroll fragments – some no larger than<br>a postage stamp – were pieced together over decades and preserved. The scrolls also provide a rich source of scientific research material for the fields of paleography, radio carbon analyses,<br>DNA studies, and cultural anthropology.
    6/8

    Travel Museum of Science Dead Sea Scrolls

    In addition to the scrolls and other artifacts, the exhibit features a timeline and multimedia presentations that enliven the story and provide context. Topics include the discovery of the
    scrolls, a look at the arid environment where the scrolls survived undisturbed for nearly two millennia, and the painstaking process through which the scroll fragments – some no larger than
    a postage stamp – were pieced together over decades and preserved. The scrolls also provide a rich source of scientific research material for the fields of paleography, radio carbon analyses,
    DNA studies, and cultural anthropology.
    Darryl Moran/The Franklin Institute
  • A replica of a four-room house offers a glimpse of life at home, from meal preparation to sleeping quarters.
    7/8

    Travel Museum of Science Dead Sea Scrolls

    A replica of a four-room house offers a glimpse of life at home, from meal preparation to sleeping quarters.
    Darryl Moran/The Franklin Institute
  • This once-in-a-lifetime exhibit offers rare insight into daily life long ago, with more than 600 objects, including a 3-ton stone from Jerusalem's Western Wall, where Museum visitors may leave a note to be sent to Israel. The tradition of placing notes between the stones that comprise the Western Wall began centuries ago. In addition, visitors can view a live satellite video feed from the Western Wall.
    8/8

    Travel Museum of Science Dead Sea Scrolls

    This once-in-a-lifetime exhibit offers rare insight into daily life long ago, with more than 600 objects, including a 3-ton stone from Jerusalem's Western Wall, where Museum visitors may leave a note to be sent to Israel. The tradition of placing notes between the stones that comprise the Western Wall began centuries ago. In addition, visitors can view a live satellite video feed from the Western Wall.
    Darryl Moran/The Franklin Institute
'Dead Sea Scrolls: Life in Ancient Times' presents one of the most comprehensive collections of Israeli antiquities ever organized, including one of the largest collections of the priceless Dead<br>Sea Scrolls.
View of the gallery where the scrolls are on display. The scrolls will be dramatically presented within a 25-foot-diameter Communal Scroll Table which features 10 individual chambers, one for each scroll, along with the full English translation, a large high-resolution image and a detailed explanation of each scroll’s significance.
A visitor looks at the exhibit on display.
The centerpiece of Dead Sea Scrolls: Life in Ancient Times encompasses 20 rare fragments from the Dead Sea Scrolls collection, some never before exhibited.
Inscriptions and seals, known as “bulla,” such as the Archer Seal, provide invaluable information about the iconography and personal imagery of the period. Other artifacts add to the picture – including weapons, stone carvings, terracotta figurines, remains of religious symbols, coins, shoes, textiles, mosaics, ceramics, and jewelry.
In addition to the scrolls and other artifacts, the exhibit features a timeline and multimedia presentations that enliven the story and provide context. Topics include the discovery of the<br>scrolls, a look at the arid environment where the scrolls survived undisturbed for nearly two millennia, and the painstaking process through which the scroll fragments – some no larger than<br>a postage stamp – were pieced together over decades and preserved. The scrolls also provide a rich source of scientific research material for the fields of paleography, radio carbon analyses,<br>DNA studies, and cultural anthropology.
A replica of a four-room house offers a glimpse of life at home, from meal preparation to sleeping quarters.
This once-in-a-lifetime exhibit offers rare insight into daily life long ago, with more than 600 objects, including a 3-ton stone from Jerusalem's Western Wall, where Museum visitors may leave a note to be sent to Israel. The tradition of placing notes between the stones that comprise the Western Wall began centuries ago. In addition, visitors can view a live satellite video feed from the Western Wall.

In 1947, a Bedouin goat herder stumbled upon a hidden cave along the shore of the Dead Sea, near the site of the ancient settlement Qumran. Concealed within the cave were scrolls that had not been seen for 2,000 years. After extensive excavation, 972 remarkably preserved scrolls were uncovered.

Visitors to the Museum of Science, Boston will witness one of the most significant archaeological finds of the 20th century — ancient handwritten texts that have shaped the Western world, including the earliest Biblical texts ever found — when Dead Sea Scrolls: Life in Ancient Times makes its New England premiere on Sunday, May 19, 2013 at the Museum of Science in Boston, Massachussetts. The centerpiece of Dead Sea Scrolls: Life in Ancient Times encompasses 20 rare fragments from the Dead Sea Scrolls collection, some never before exhibited. Each set of 10 will be on display for about three months. The scrolls will be dramatically presented within a 25-foot-diameter Communal Scroll Table which features 10 individual chambers, one for each scroll, along with the full English translation, a large high-resolution image and a detailed explanation of each scroll’s significance.

One of the world's largest science centers and Boston's most attended cultural institution, the Museum introduces about 1.5 million visitors a year to science, technology, engineering, and math (STEM) via dynamic programs and hundreds of interactive exhibits. Founded in 1830, the Museum was first to embrace all the sciences under one roof.

Images and information courtesy: Museum of Science, Boston, Massachussetts