Got to see the Dead Sea Scrolls!

[Boomstick]

The Royal Ontario Museum has a special exhibit featuring the Dead Sea Scrolls ongoing until January 3, 2010, and I got to see it Tuesday afternoon. It wasn't something we had planned on doing, but I'm very happy we did.

It's a wonderful exhibit, and I found myself quite absorbed in it very quickly. It's a fairly large exhibit, with lots of information to take in. Not knowing much about the history of that area at the time, or Jewish society at the time, I was a little overwhelmed and don't remember many of the details.

I do remember the artifacts, however, several intact Ossuaries, which I found fascinating. Coins, glasswear, and even some pieces of the Temple from King Herod's time!

The pieces of the scrolls themselves are what you'd expect them to look like, although it's boggling to imagine something so fragile surviving all these years. Parts of the exhibit describe the seemingly unlikely and surprising events that unfolded when the scrolls were discovered. Apparently some of the initial ones were brought back to the States, and then sold via a classified ad in the newspaper!

On the whole it was a very enriching experience. Of course I'd heard of the Dead Sea Scrolls, but I was essentially ignorant of what they were or the history that surrounded them, so to stand in wide eyed wonder at some of these artifacts was very rewarding.

Unfortunately we got there mid afternoon, so by the time we were done with the Dead Sea Scrolls exhibit there was very little time left before the museum closed. A quick walk around the place revealed it's a remarkable place. I made a point to check out their Japanese exhibit, which featured several beautiful samurai artifacts, including several helmets, guns, swords, and two exquisite full suits of armor.

[Mark]

It has been about 15 years since last there, but the ROM is a great museum with a collection from around the world!

Best, MEH