Dead Sea Scrolls Life & Faith in Ancient Times The Leonardo Museum Observation & Reflection

Brooklyn Schutjer Vicki Morgan ART-1010-001-Sp14 April 3, 2014 Dead Sea Scrolls Life & Faith in Ancient Times The Leonardo Museum Observation & Reflection

I am happily surprised at how much I enjoyed this museum visit. Were it not for this assignment I would have skipped this exhibit. I am not a religious person. I am not interested in history or archeology. Israel has never been on my must-see-before-I-die list. But I found myself stuck in front ancient writings wondering about the hands that created them and why. I wondered what the culture and environment was like in those times. I was intrigued by the similarity of ancient religious texts and the current polarity of those same religions. I studied clay pot after clay pot looking for the similarities, differences, improvements in design and the stories they told of the daily life of their owners. I was pleased to draw from this experience that not only did I gain some knowledge & understanding of an ancient time but also appreciation of the act of observing art.

I was raised in a LDS household. My maternal Grandfather was a professor at The Institute of Religion at Brigham Young University for 40 years. He and my Grandmother led the Tours of the Holy Land in Jerusalem for the University for 20 years. I have been exposed to the type of artwork and texts shown in this exhibit since I can remember. At 8 years old I was given a replica of my favorite piece of art in this exhibit by my Grandfather when he returned from one of his many tours. It is a palm-sized clay oil lamp like the ones described in The Parable of the Ten Virgins. In the parable half of the virgins come prepared to wait for a bridegroom with extra oil for their lamps & the other half are not prepared

Dead Sea Scrolls Life & Faith in Ancient Times The Leonardo Museum Observation & Reflection

and end up excluded from the eventual wedding festivities. It serves as a much needed and often ignored reminder in my life to be prepared. The lamps were discovered alongside the scrolls in the ancient settlement of Khirbet Qumran on the northwest shore of the Dead Sea in Israel. Carbon-dating of the lamps & other pottery helped to establish the estimated dates the scrolls were written. The time frames of the lamps on display vary but generally date between 150 BCE and 70 CE. The lamp itself is orange clay made from a mold that varies in design from region to region and time period to time period. The lines are smooth and organic. Form follows function and it is simple to use and maintain.

I found the scrolls themselves to be the most interesting section of the exhibit. The presentation was in a large open room with a dimly under-lit circular table housing the actual scrolls being showcased side by side with descriptions and translations of each. The room was full of people but respectfully hushed. The scrolls were discovered by Bedouin goat-herders in 1947 in a series of caves. The scrolls were often adjacent to or tucked inside clay pots or leather containers and baskets in the caves. They date back to 120 BCE and 68 CE. They were written on animal skins and papyrus and parchment. The writing is in Hebrew, Aramaic, and Greek. Because of the many religious organizations & governments interested in having these precious relics in their possession there has been years of controversy over ownership and rights to the scrolls. My personal favorite was the lease agreement. It is written in Aramaic on papyrus. In my opinion this was the bestpreserved and most legible of the scrolls on display. I was impressed by the uniformity and execution of

Dead Sea Scrolls Life & Faith in Ancient Times The Leonardo Museum Observation & Reflection

the text by the author. In addition to the crafting of the text I was interested in how closely the language of a modern day lease agreement resembles the language written on this piece. It makes me think that humans may not have advanced as much as we think we have as modern-day tech junkies.

There was a small room dedicated to showcasing many different types of pottery discovered near the caves where the scrolls were found. This pottery served as a reliable indicator of the time and environment in which written. There were clay weights, spoons, cups, measuring cups, would have been by the working-class the scrolls were pots, bowls, boxes, water jugs, plates, etc. The pottery designed and created people of the era but

had artisan qualities; signs of ownership & creativity such as the kings stamp on a handle or small sculpted lion crawling in the rim of a water jug. Design & functionality seemed to evolve as time progressed. It may me wonder if this is an example of how we evolve as a species.

One of the walls of the main exhibition room was made to look like a section of the Western Wall found in Jerusalem. The history of this wall is fascinating and tragic. It is accepted as being one of the most sacred sites in Israel and Judaism. It served as an exterior wall of the courtyard of the Temple Mount. It was constructed around 19 BCE by Herod the Great. Worshippers have been placing prayer notes in the wall since 1743. In the museum exhibit patrons are encouraged to place their own prayer note in the artificial wall and these prayers will eventually be delivered and placed in the actual wall in Jerusalem. I have heard respectful stories about what we referred to as

Dead Sea Scrolls Life & Faith in Ancient Times The Leonardo Museum Observation & Reflection

the Whaling Wall since I was very young. My Grandfather took his tours to the actual wall as one of the final stops. I understand that many Jewish people make pilgrimages to the wall to pray in the closest proximity to heaven. My Mother was able to visit this sacred place with her parents when I was 8. I remember her explaining to us that she had prayers for my siblings & I read & placed in the wall by a rabbi at the wall & that she was able to touch the wall herself and whisper prayers with the other worshippers there. I may not get a chance to visit the actual wall so it was exciting for me to see a stone from the wall, having the experience of stuffing my prayer in the wall, and learning of its history and significance.

There were people of all walks of life in The Leonardo the Saturday evening I got to visit for this exhibit. Some people brought their very young kids; some elderly people were being escorted through in wheelchairs. There were college students & scholars, church groups, dates, families, and individuals. I mentioned in my opening paragraph that I would have missed this exhibit were it not for this assignment. Even though I had been exposed to many of these types of work prior to my visit it was a surprise to feel the connections to my family & to understand how little I really know. The act of appreciating & attempting to understand a piece of art or cultural history expands our understanding of ourselves.