The Dead Sea Scrolls
Amilee Bigham
Museum event
1. Which museum did you visit?
I visited the Leonardo and saw the Dead Sea Scrolls
2. In 150 words, describe at least one of the broad collections on a theme,
period, geographic region, or topic within the museum.
The theme on the collection I saw was based mainly on the Dead Sea Scrolls
and artifacts found during the biblical time period or B.C. time period. The
region in which these artifacts were found was in the Middle East. The entire
collection was put together to show how old, yet advanced the artifacts were
during this time. I was very amazed by this considering the fact that most of
us think of people during this time as cave dwellers and not very civilized but
they were actually extremely civilized. Most of the exhibits were very fragile
because of their old age, and very well made, even with some of the modern
materials we use today such as: clay pottery, leather sandals, seeds in fruit
we eat, parchment paper, copper, etc. The artifacts were also dated and titled
according to biblical history. You were not allowed to take photographs or
videos of the collection either because of the importance and how fragile they
were.
3. Give a brief, one paragraph (100 words) description of a special exhibit
(ask the curator what these are; they are usually in one of the first
rooms):
Some of the most prized artifacts that they showed in this exhibit were pots
made from clay. These were very fragile pieces that had been preserved even
with cracks and breaks all up and down the sides of the pots. They were
handmade and used to carry water or wine during that time, and they were
in the Middle Eastern area. The pots were also quite large and dense (had
much thickness to the clay).
4. What kind of information is provided about the works? Tell me three
places you might find more detailed information that doesn’t include
the web
The information provided about the pieces was: the time period, where it
was found, and what they did in order to find it and preserve it. This
information also depended on each individual piece. Some of the pieces did
not have an exact date but multiple dates that could have been guessed by
archeologists. You could find more detailed information in books on the
specific pieces and the dead sea scrolls themselves, in the museums they
have been placed in, and in the middle east itself. If you tie the artifacts to the
bible, you can read it to find out what they were used for in specific stories,
events, and context.
5. Choose several works that particularly appealed to you. Explain why
you were drawn to these works. Comment on the subject, style,
medium, time period, etc. Who were the artists? This question must be
answered in its entirety.
There were many pieces in this exhibit that appealed to me, but the ones that
appealed to me most were: the sandals, dead sea scrolls, the pottery, the
fabric/tapestries, the bath tub, and the miniature idols.
In the exhibit they displayed a couple pairs of worn leather sandals. This was
absolutely amazing to me because I had always heard in the bible and church
about the people wearing sandals, but I didn’t know that they would have
looked so similar to the shoes we wear on our feet today. These people knew
how to use the materials they were given. And they obviously knew how to
made good shoes to walk with.
The next display that amazed me was pottery that was shown. The pots were
made from a red terra cotta looking clay that was very hardy. Although
fragile, this clay was still alive and well, some of the pots didn’t even have a
single crack in them. They were mainly larger, but some of them were small
as well, and some also had little carvings added to them either to explain
something kind of like hieroglyphics or just for decoration.
The fabric and tapestries also intrigued me because of their use of color.
Where did the coloring on the materials come from? They had to have used a
good type of ink that didn’t fade over this many years. It made me wonder if
the time gap from then until now wasn’t as long as scientists made it out to
be. The hand woven tapestries were beautifully made with precision and
artistic skill, as an artist, I could really appreciate the beauty in each thread.
6. How did the artworks you looked at relate to material we have
discussed in class? They do relate in many ways, you just need to look
for those relationships. Minimum of 150 words.
The pieces that I saw in the museum related mostly to the section about
spirituality/religion in our humanities literature books. The exhibit in its
entirety was about the Bible: one of the main sources of spiritual, religious,
and moral practice guides. The exhibit showed accuracy coming from the
bible and how much evidence there really is showing the reality of this book
some people don’t quite understand. For me, I really felt empowered and
very lucky to have seen this exhibit because it showed me another culture
during the time period through the art and innovative ideas with little
material to work with. This inspired me greatly with my art and I even wrote
about it in my sketch journal. It also inspired me spiritually in my faith
because it showed me that there is physical evidence of biblical artifacts.
Some people say that their religion is based ONLY on faith, and that is the
only explanation they can give for it, but for me, I have seen this tangible
evidence that is truly amazing and it gives me more knowledge in
Christianity than just believing upon faithfulness.
7. What was your personal reaction to this experience? Would you enjoy
attending this type of event again? Why or why not? 100 words
My reaction to this event was one of amazement and joy. Seeing this exhibit
answered some of my questions about the bible and my faith in a new
perspective. A lot of people say that they cannot believe the bible because it
has been translated too many times. To see the direct translation from
Hebrew to English really answered this question for me. It was very precise
in writing characters, and its beauty made me want to learn the Hebrew
language. I would definitely enjoy attending this type of event again. I love
learning new things about culture and history, and this event brought me
that enjoyment. I feel like everyone should attend this type of event at least
once in their lifetime if possible because it teaches you about the past and
what it was really like. Hearing information is not nearly as credible as seeing
something tangible.