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Spent the weekend in New York City. Went to see the Dead Sea Scrolls Exhibit in Discovery Times Square (same place I saw Pompeii (the first time) and King Tut) on Saturday. We tend to get there early - before they even open. True to form, we got there about forty minutes early (express subway for the win!), so we went and warmed ourselves with some tea/hot chocolate and conversation in the (very light) snow.
We were in the very first group let into the exhibit (which is something we prefer). It started off with a multi-media presentation with a docent doing a theatrical info-dump about the place and time of the making and finding of the scrolls.
A few minutes later we were set loose in the exhibit itself. I was the slowpoke, because I got the audio tour (sometimes they are great, and sometimes they are terrible - this one was on the "great" end of the spectrum, but it just gave more depth to what you were seeing - some "why" questions got answered, and a more in depth discussion on life and times and culture.). I LOVED the empire progression video and watched it all the way through twice - which empires reigned when and for how long and who came after. Brilliant bit of animation that really spoke for itself.
The coins were fascinating in how small they all were - how delicate and detailed. I loved the "folk religion vs. formal religion" discussion over household shrines - and that in the Jewish Folk Religion of several thousand years ago God possibly had a female counterpart.
From the gallery of seeing all the items associated with life and times when the scrolls were written, we went downstairs into a large round room that had a huge circular table where under glass were climate controlled partially lit shadowboxes that had the actual fragments of scrolls inside. Around the edge of the room were other items (carved ossuary boxes, various bits of jewelry, cooking implements and various household vessels, a wailing wall set up you could leave written prayers, etc.). Outside of this room were smaller rooms with specific focus - in one was a film on a loop talking about the scrolls and how they were found, how they were (badly) treated in the fifties by people who, while scholars, were not versed in ancient manuscript and unknowingly damaged them (sunlight and cigarettes everywhere! Scotch tape! Stamp glue! Egads and Horrors!), and how conservation effort is ongoing (both undoing the damage after they were found and continuing the piece together fragments).
I loved the various interactive bits - the "ten commandments" interaction was interesting - where the commandment was highlighted and the whole thing was set out. Some are short (forgive me as I paraphrase egregiously) "you will not kill" or "you will not steal" and some are longer "the seventh day is for resting. Not just you, but you and your family, and your slaves, both male and female, and your animals and your neighbors. all of you will rest because God rested on the seventh day and you must, too. No really. I mean it."
There was a moment in the scroll room when it kind of hit us at different points that - WOW! DEAD SEA SCROLL! RIGHT THERE!!! OH-EM-GEE!
I also snerked at the quotes from Pliny the Elder that were on the walls - because, well, we know he died on the day Vesuvius erupted and Pompeii was wiped out (August in the year 79CE (AD)). Because he was a bit of a moron and sailed TOWARD Vesuvius instead of AWAY from it.
After we exited the Dead Sea Scrolls we went back uptown and ate at a Dominican restaurant (yum) for the meal between lunch and dinner that serves for both - because that is what time it was. Then back to the apartment to watch Planet Earth and geek out together.
Such an awesome weekend! ♥
We were in the very first group let into the exhibit (which is something we prefer). It started off with a multi-media presentation with a docent doing a theatrical info-dump about the place and time of the making and finding of the scrolls.
A few minutes later we were set loose in the exhibit itself. I was the slowpoke, because I got the audio tour (sometimes they are great, and sometimes they are terrible - this one was on the "great" end of the spectrum, but it just gave more depth to what you were seeing - some "why" questions got answered, and a more in depth discussion on life and times and culture.). I LOVED the empire progression video and watched it all the way through twice - which empires reigned when and for how long and who came after. Brilliant bit of animation that really spoke for itself.
The coins were fascinating in how small they all were - how delicate and detailed. I loved the "folk religion vs. formal religion" discussion over household shrines - and that in the Jewish Folk Religion of several thousand years ago God possibly had a female counterpart.
From the gallery of seeing all the items associated with life and times when the scrolls were written, we went downstairs into a large round room that had a huge circular table where under glass were climate controlled partially lit shadowboxes that had the actual fragments of scrolls inside. Around the edge of the room were other items (carved ossuary boxes, various bits of jewelry, cooking implements and various household vessels, a wailing wall set up you could leave written prayers, etc.). Outside of this room were smaller rooms with specific focus - in one was a film on a loop talking about the scrolls and how they were found, how they were (badly) treated in the fifties by people who, while scholars, were not versed in ancient manuscript and unknowingly damaged them (sunlight and cigarettes everywhere! Scotch tape! Stamp glue! Egads and Horrors!), and how conservation effort is ongoing (both undoing the damage after they were found and continuing the piece together fragments).
I loved the various interactive bits - the "ten commandments" interaction was interesting - where the commandment was highlighted and the whole thing was set out. Some are short (forgive me as I paraphrase egregiously) "you will not kill" or "you will not steal" and some are longer "the seventh day is for resting. Not just you, but you and your family, and your slaves, both male and female, and your animals and your neighbors. all of you will rest because God rested on the seventh day and you must, too. No really. I mean it."
There was a moment in the scroll room when it kind of hit us at different points that - WOW! DEAD SEA SCROLL! RIGHT THERE!!! OH-EM-GEE!
I also snerked at the quotes from Pliny the Elder that were on the walls - because, well, we know he died on the day Vesuvius erupted and Pompeii was wiped out (August in the year 79CE (AD)). Because he was a bit of a moron and sailed TOWARD Vesuvius instead of AWAY from it.
After we exited the Dead Sea Scrolls we went back uptown and ate at a Dominican restaurant (yum) for the meal between lunch and dinner that serves for both - because that is what time it was. Then back to the apartment to watch Planet Earth and geek out together.
Such an awesome weekend! ♥
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