Scroll jars
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The shepherd who found the first scrolls in the caves near Qumran reported that some were placed inside cylindrical-shaped clay jars like these with lids. Visitors to The Dead Sea Scrolls exhibition, which will premiere at the Science Museum of Minnesota on March 12, 2010, will see jars like these, as well as other artifacts that paint a picture of life in Israel around the time that the scrolls were written.

Image courtesy of the Israel Antiquities Authority.

Genesis 4Q-6-273
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This scroll fragment from the book of Genesis will appear in The Dead Sea Scrolls exhibition, which opens on March 12, 2010 at the Science Museum of Minnesota.

This fragment depicts Genesis 48: 8-10, which describes the patriarch Jacob and his blessing of Joseph's sons, Ephraim and Manasseh. Below is a translation of an excerpt of this fragment:

When Israel saw Joseph's sons, he said, "Who are these?" Joseph said to his father, "They are my sons, whom God has given me here." And he said, "Bring them to me, please, that I may bless them."

This scroll was found in Cave 4. It is dated to the first century BCE.

Image courtesy of the Israel Antiquities Authority.

Community Rule 4Q-256-905
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The Community Rule scroll, or the Manual of Discipline, contains a set of rules by which the people of Qumran conducted their lives. It gives us a glimpse into the community's way of life and world view. The fragment pictured here will be featured in The Dead Sea Scrolls exhibition, which opens on March 12, 2010 at the Science Museum of Minnesota.

Fragments of the Community Rule scroll, dated to the first century BCE, were found in Cave 4. A complete copy was discovered in Cave 1, and additional copies were recovered from other caves. The large number of copies of this document signifies its importance among the members of the group.

Image courtesy of the Israel Antiquities Authority.