Dead Sea Scrolls on Display: Ancient Treasure in San Diego

The San Diego Natural History Museum in Southern California is now housing one of the greatest archaeological finds in the world.
On display from June 29 through December 31, 2007 are the Dead Sea Scrolls. These 2000-year-old scrolls, discovered in 1947, belonged to a first-century religious community who broke away from traditional Judaism to live a communal life at Qumran, an area northwest of the Dead Sea. The scrolls give a fascinating glimpse into the formative years of Judaism and Christianity and have become widely acknowledged as one of the most intriguing archeological discoveries in history.

Visitors are able to view firsthand the ancient texts containing songs, hymns, legal documents and large portions of the Old Testament Bible. Moreover, guests may explore the science behind the scrolls, i.e., the use of infrared photography to enhance the appearance of the weathered texts, along with DNA analysis, chemical analysis, and carbon-14 dating. All these techniques were used to date the scrolls. And if that's not enough, the exhibit displays the evolution of styles of ancient handwriting.

How were the Dead Sea Scrolls discovered? In 1947 a young shepherd threw a rock into a cave, and heard a crash. Upon investigation he found a broken clay jar. Inside was an ancient scroll. Searchers found more scrolls as nearby caves were explored and today we have about 900 ancient documents that date from 250 B.C. to A.D. 68. Although the San Diego museum will only be displaying 27 scrolls over the course of six months, their exhibition, according to the museum's web site, is "the largest, longest, most comprehensive ever assembled in any country." Ten scrolls are being exhibited for the very first time.

The many Old Testament Biblical texts are of special interest to scholars. These ancient copies of Biblical scriptures are one thousand years older than any previously known copies. When compared to the Old Testament Bible we have today, the scrolls show very few differences. Amazingly, the text has been passed down through the ages accurately.

Since ancient people didn't have printing presses, carefully trained scribes tediously copied important manuscripts by hand. When a scroll showed signs of wear after decades of use, scribes would make a new copy. This was a painstaking process. After copying each line of text, the scribe stopped and counted each letter on the original. The center letter on the line was also determined. Then he would do the same on his new copy. If all matched, he would move on to the next line. This is only one example of the many types of safeguards scribes performed.

So it is easy to understand why these scrolls were carefully hidden. The first century was a time of unrest and the religious community feared the Romans would destroy their sacred texts. They hid them in the caves for safekeeping-which proved to be a good idea, because the Romans invaded Qumran around A.D. 68. And the scrolls survived. . . resting safely in the darkness for over 2000 years, surviving the passage of time.

You can view these fascinating scrolls by traveling to San Diego's Museum of Natural History, located in Southern California. For specific travel directions and more information, be sure to visit the museum's web site.

For a list and description of the specific scrolls being exhibited click here.

Monday through Thursday are "off-peak" hours and a discount on admission is available. Regular admssion prices are:

Adults $28
Seniors $24
Students/Military $24
Children 3-12 $15

Phone for information: 877.946.7797 or 619.255.0195
School group admission: 619.255.0210

Entrance Hours:
Open daily except Thanksgiving and Christmas Day
Monday 1-5 PM
Tuesday, Wednesday, Thursday 10 AM-5 PM
Friday 10 AM-6 PM
Saturday, Sunday, Holidays 9 AM-7 PM