Highlights from the Israel Antiquities Authority:
The Dead Sea Scrolls and 5,000 Years of Treasures

Exhibiton:
February 16, 2008 — August 10, 2008

Lecture:
Wednesday, April 9, 2008

This exhibition includes rotating examples of the rare and precious Dead Sea Scroll fragments in addition to artifacts spanning over 5,000 years, from the Chalcolithic Age (4,000 BC) to the Fatimid Period (11th century AD). The Dead Sea Scrolls are one of the greatest archaeological discoveries in history. Uncovered by Bedouin herders and excavated by archaeologists in caves along the northwestern shore of the Dead Sea, fragments of the scrolls were pieced together to form more than 800 documents, many of them Biblical and Apocryphal manuscripts. All of the treasures on view are on loan from the Israel Antiquities Authority (IAA), and most have never been seen outside of Israel.

Located in the Legion’s Gallery 1, this small-scale exhibition is the first in a series, and provides an introduction to future joint exhibitions between the Fine Arts Museums of San Francisco and the IAA.  Highlights among the nearly 50 objects include funerary ossuaries, Philistine cultic altars, Roman and Byzantine glass vessels, a mosaic from a Byzantine monastery in Jerusalem, and gold coins and jewelry from Tiberias dating to the Fatimid Period.  On display for the first time anywhere is a newly excavated and restored gold-glass mosaic table from a Byzantine villa.  The first Dead Sea Scroll on view is from the Book of Psalms, one of the best-preserved biblical examples and dates to the 1st century AD.

February 16, 2008 — August 10, 2008 (Closed Mondays)

Legion of Honor
Lincoln Park, 34th Avenue and Clement Street, San Francisco - map
www.famsf.org
(415) 750-3600

$10 adults | $7 seniors | $6 youths (13-17 and students with a college I.D.)
Members and children under 12 admitted free
The first Tuesday of every month is free

Wednesday, April 9, 2008 - 7:00 pm

Legion of Honor’s Florence Gould Theater

The Helen Diller Family Foundation’s Annual Lecture Series focusing on recent archaeological discoveries in Israel continues with “City of David: Recent Discoveries,” organized by IAA.  Senior Archaeologist of the IAA and Jerusalem District Archaeologist Yuval Baruch is the guest lecturer.

Highlights from the Israel Antiquities Authority: The Dead Sea Scrolls and 5,000 Years of Treasures is organized by the Fine Arts Museums of San Francisco and the Israel Antiquities Authority from the collections of the National Treasures and is supported by Bernard and Barbro Osher and American Express.