15th archaeology weekend to feature Dead Sea Scrolls, family events

 

RIVERSIDE, Calif. -- This month, a long-standing archaeology event at La Sierra University designed for scholars, theologians, interested lay persons and families alike, will celebrate its 15th anniversary with unique insights into one of the world’s foremost historical discoveries, the Dead Sea Scrolls.

<p> Site of the Khirbet Qumran caves where the Dead Sea Scroll were found. (Photo: Pixabay) </p>

Site of the Khirbet Qumran caves where the Dead Sea Scroll were found. (Photo: Pixabay)

<p> Emanuel Tov, professor of Bible at the Hebrew&nbsp;University in Jerusalem&nbsp;who served as editor-in-chief of the Dead Sea Scrolls Publication Project.&nbsp; </p>

Emanuel Tov, professor of Bible at the Hebrew University in Jerusalem who served as editor-in-chief of the Dead Sea Scrolls Publication Project. 

<p> Jodi Magness&nbsp;is the Kenan Distinguished Professor for Teaching Excellence in Early Judaism at the University of North Carolina at Chapel Hill. &nbsp;She is the author of the award-winning book, "The Archaeology of Qumran and the Dead Sea Scrolls." </p>

Jodi Magness is the Kenan Distinguished Professor for Teaching Excellence in Early Judaism at the University of North Carolina at Chapel Hill.  She is the author of the award-winning book, "The Archaeology of Qumran and the Dead Sea Scrolls."

<p> John J. Collins, emeritus professor with Yale University and international expert on apocalyptic literature related to the Dead Sea Scrolls and the Hebrew Bible. </p>

John J. Collins, emeritus professor with Yale University and international expert on apocalyptic literature related to the Dead Sea Scrolls and the Hebrew Bible.

<p> Sidnie White Crawford, emerita professor of Hebrew Bible at the University of Nebraska-Lincoln and chair of the Old Testament editorial board of&nbsp;<em>Hermeneia: A Critical and Historical Commentary on the Bible</em>. </p>

Sidnie White Crawford, emerita professor of Hebrew Bible at the University of Nebraska-Lincoln and chair of the Old Testament editorial board of Hermeneia: A Critical and Historical Commentary on the Bible.

<p> Alex P. Jassen of New York University, widely published author on the Dead Sea Scrolls and the academic advisor of the Dead Sea Scrolls exhibit at the Science Museum of Minnesota. </p>

Alex P. Jassen of New York University, widely published author on the Dead Sea Scrolls and the academic advisor of the Dead Sea Scrolls exhibit at the Science Museum of Minnesota.

<p> Special guest speaker Sabal Al-Zaben. </p>

Special guest speaker Sabal Al-Zaben.

<p> Families participate in the simulated Kids' Dig archaeological activity under archaeologist Craig Lesh during Archaeology Discovery Weekend 2022 <b>(PLEASE NOTE: this weekend's Kids' Dig has been canceled)</b>. (Photo: La Sierra University) </p>

Families participate in the simulated Kids' Dig archaeological activity under archaeologist Craig Lesh during Archaeology Discovery Weekend 2022 (PLEASE NOTE: this weekend's Kids' Dig has been canceled). (Photo: La Sierra University)

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On Saturday, Nov. 11 and Sunday, Nov. 12 La Sierra’s 15th Annual Archaeology Discovery Weekend themed “The Dead Sea Scrolls and the Bible” will feature lectures and panels by noted scholars from around the United States and the Middle East. Presentations will include a talk by a descendant of a Jordanian who first discovered Cave 1 at Qumran where some of the scrolls were found. Family activities will include a simulated archaeological dig for children ages 6 - 12 (PLEASE NOTE: The Kids' Dig has been canceled as of Nov. 9), a Bedouin hospitality tent, and Dead Sea Scroll-themed activities and displays. Hands-on labs will offer activities in pottery construction, pottery dating, 3D scanning, exercises in writing on parchment, an immersive 3D cave experience and more.

“Discovered more than 75 years ago in caves along the northwestern shores of the Dead Sea, the 900-plus scrolls provided the world with one of the greatest caches of inscriptions ever found,” said Doug Clark, noted Jordan archaeologist and director of the Center for Near Eastern Archaeology at La Sierra. The center organizes the archaeology discovery events, lectures and other activities each year.

The 2,000-year-old Dead Sea Scrolls, written on leather parchment and papyrus, were first discovered in caves around 1947 by teenage Bedouin shepherds near the ancient settlement of Khirbet Qumran in an area that is now Israel’s West Bank. Through 1956, additional scrolls were uncovered in a total of 11 nearby caves. Over the years, scholars reconstructed fragments into approximately 950 manuscripts which are housed in the Shrine of the Book at The Israel Museum in Jerusalem.

Archaeology Discovery Weekend’s keynote speakers include one of the world’s leading experts on the Qumran scrolls, Dr. Emanuel Tov, professor of Bible at the Hebrew University in Jerusalem who served as editor-in-chief of the Dead Sea Scrolls Publication Project for 13 years. In addition, Dr. Jodi Magness, a renowned archaeologist with the University of North Carolina at Chapel Hill whose interviews have appeared in National Geographic documentaries, will discuss the archaeology of Qumran.

Other noted scholars and scrolls experts will include Dr. John J. Collins, emeritus professor with Yale University and international expert on apocalyptic literature related to the Dead Sea Scrolls and the Hebrew Bible; Dr. Sidnie White Crawford, emerita professor of Hebrew Bible at the University of Nebraska-Lincoln and chair of the Old Testament editorial board of Hermeneia: A Critical and Historical Commentary on the Bible; and Dr. Alex P. Jassen of New York University, widely published author on the Dead Sea Scrolls and the academic advisor of the Dead Sea Scrolls exhibit at the Science Museum of Minnesota.

Special guest speaker Sabal Al-Zaben will share a little-known story connected with the discovery of the Dead Sea Scrolls, that of her father, Akash Zaben, a former Jordanian military commander who led a small team to the location of Cave 1 at Qumran.

“We are ecstatic about the lineup of internationally known and respected scholars who will address the discovery and archaeology of the Dead Sea Scrolls on Saturday and then the relationship between the scrolls and the Bible on Sunday,” said Clark. “It promises to be an outstanding program.”

The 15th Annual Archaeology Discovery Weekend will be held in person and online. For further information and to register, please visit lasierra.edu/cnea/discovery-weekend/, call 951-785-2632, or email archaeology@lasierra.edu. All events are free and open to the public.

An image of the Great Isaiah Scroll, one of the original seven Dead Sea Scrolls discovered in Qumran. (Image: Wikipedia Commons)

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