Source: Times of Israel
The Israeli Antiquities Authority has launched an upgraded version of an online archive of the Dead Sea scrolls, enabling web users to view thousands of high-quality images of the ancient texts along with explanations and translations into various languages. The new website, officially opened on Tuesday, is the second incarnation of the Leon Levy Dead Sea Scrolls Digital Library and has over 10,000 photographs of the ancient texts that were found in a series of caves at Qumran in the Judean Desert.
Images were rendered using multispectral photographic methods that reproduce the documents in exceptionally high quality. The site — available in English, German, Arabic, and Hebrew versions — also provides commentary and explanations on some of the more famous scrolls including a book of Exodus written in paleo-Hebrew script, the books of Samuel, the Temple Scroll, Songs of Shabbat Sacrifice, and New Jerusalem.
On the new Dead Sea Scrolls site, surfers can search for phrases in Hebrew or English and match fragments, sort the fragments according to the caves where each was originally found, and view the locations on Google Maps.
Since the launch of the earlier version of the website a year ago over half a million people have visited the site, with 25,000 new visitors viewing it every month.
The next versions of the website will also include additional images, tools for scholars, conservation data, content pages in additional languages, as well as advanced and multiple search options.
Read more at The Times of Israel and The Jerusalem Post.