This spring National Archives Director of Preservation Doris Hamburg led an international team of conservation and preservation experts that visited the Israel Antiquities Authority to discuss the preservation of the Dead Sea Scrolls. The team is developing a report regarding their visit. Ms. Hamburg recently made a presentation for our colleagues about the history of the Dead Sea Scrolls, their discovery and the challenges to their preservation. Conservation science and preservation practice have evolved steadily since the scrolls were discovered in 1947. Work continues daily to ensure that the thousands of fragments that make up this 2,000 year-old treasure will be preserved and available for research.
TOP: International team and Israel Antiquities Dead Sea Scroll conservation team during spring visit (Courtesy of Rachel Danzing). BOTTOM LEFT: The Hosea Commentary Scroll, Pesher Hoshe`a, Parchment, Copied late first century B.C.E. (Courtesy of the Israel Antiquities Authority.) BOTTOM RIGHT: A Qumran Cave where Dead Sea Scrolls were found (Courtesy of Doris Hamburg).