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Dead Sea Scrolls Exhibit - Royal Ontario Museum
From June 27th, 2009 to January 2010, the Dead Sea Scrolls exhibit will run at the Royal Ontario Museum. It's a chance to see fragments of the texts that are the earliest record, known to humans, of biblical documents such as hymns, prayers and religious laws. Most importantly, these documents trace the 2,000 -year-old traditions of Judaism, Christianity and Islam.
The Dead Sea Scrolls brings those faiths together in this interesting exhibit that allows the public to view these precious documents with their own eyes. On loan from the Israel Antiquities Authority (click here read about the ongoing dispute over who actually owns the Scrolls), the first of these texts was discovered in a desert cave near Khirbet Qumran in 1947 by a Bedouin goat-herder. Over the next few years more than 100,000 fragments of text would be found in 11 different caves. The discovery is traced though images and video at the exhibit and it is definitely a fascinating story to hear.
Check out a video on the exhibit:
Music: Numinous Shine by Kevin MacLeod
The mainly parchment scrolls are very sensitive to humidity and light. I was surprised to learn that the Israel Antiquities Authority has four conservators on staff whose only duty is to slow down the deterioration of the fragments. Tools used in the conservation are also on display.
The actual exhibit doesn't have a lot of interactive opportunities for kids but the ROM has set up an area on a different floor just for the younger crowd. In this area, children will learn about the Scrolls through games and hands-on activities such as artifact excavation. I was unable to check it out as it was still closed during the media preview.
Getting there:
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Tickets for this exhibit alone are: $28 for adults, $15 for children and $25 for seniors and students. The ROM is encouraging that visitors book tickets in advance as the Dead Sea Scrolls is a time-ticketed exhibit and can't guarantee entry for walk-up sales.
General admission to the Museum is free every Wednesday from 4:30 p.m. to 5:30 p.m. This offer excludes admission to specially ticketed exhibitions.
Half Price admission is available on Fridays from 4:30 p.m. to 9:30 p.m.
For more information:
rom.on.ca or rom.on.ca/scrolls
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