Houston is about to come face to face with one of the greatest archaeological discoveries of all time. Beginning November 21, the Houston Museum of Natural Science will host the historic 75th-anniversary tour of Dead Sea Scrolls: The Exhibition, with museum members getting a first look on November 20.
The exhibition brings more than 200 of Israel’s National Treasures to Houston, including original fragments of the 2,000-year-old manuscripts recovered from the caves of Qumran in the Judean Desert. Because the ancient parchment and papyrus are so fragile, the featured fragments will rotate three separate times during the run, so repeat visitors can encounter different biblical texts — from Genesis, Psalms and the War Scroll in the first rotation to the Great Psalms Scroll and, later, fragments of Isaiah and Tobit.
Beyond the scrolls, visitors will see the celebrated Magdala Stone, preserved timbers from the famed first-century “Jesus Boat” recovered from the Sea of Galilee, inscribed ostraca from Masada and remains from Jerusalem’s historic Pilgrim Road. The exhibition also shows how multispectral imaging and modern conservation science are recovering faded writing and preserving the manuscripts for future generations.
HMNS is located at 5555 Hermann Park Drive in the heart of the Museum District. It is a rare chance for Houston families and history lovers to stand before the actual parchment and ink that reshaped our understanding of the ancient world.
Photo: Wikimedia Commons
