New images of the Dead Sea Scrolls are now online courtesy of an online partnership between Google and Israel.
The Israel Antiquities Authority has launched the Leon Levy Dead Sea Scrolls Digital Library, an online collection of more than 5,000 images of scroll fragments.
The ancient manuscripts include one of the first known copies of the Book of Deuteronomy, which includes the Ten Commandments and part of Chapter 1 of the Book of Genesis,
which tells of the creation of the world. Also online are hundreds of
other 2,000-year-old texts, which illuminate Jesus’ time on earth as
well as the history of Judaism.
“Millions of users and scholars can discover and decipher details
invisible to the naked eye, at 1215 dpi resolution,” reads a joint blog post by Eyal Miller, new business development, and Yossi Matias, head of Israel Research and Development Center.
“The site displays infrared and color images that are equal in
quality to the Scrolls themselves. There’s a database containing
information for about 900 of the manuscripts, as well as interactive
content pages. We’re thrilled to have been able to help this project
through hosting on Google Storage and App Engine, and use of Maps,
YouTube and Google image technology.”
Google first partnered with the Israel Antiquities Authority last
year when the technology giant helped put online five texts of the Dead
Sea Scrolls, the oldest known biblical manuscripts in existence. They
included: The Great Isaiah Scroll, the War Scroll, the Commentary on
Habakkuk Scroll, The Temple Scroll and the Community Rule Scroll.
“You can browse the Great Isaiah Scroll, the most well known scroll and the one that can be found in most home Bibles, by chapter and verse,” the blog post
reads. “You can also click directly on the Hebrew text and get an
English translation. While you’re there, leave a comment for others to
see.”
The digital library, which took two years to compile, uses technology that was developed by NASA.
The high-resolution photographs of the ancient texts are up to 1,200
megapixels, enabling viewers to see even the smallest of details in the
parchment.
By zooming in on the Temple Scroll, for instance, one can see the animal skin it’s written on — only one-tenth of a millimeter thick.
Google now wants to take the project a step further. The company has
launched a “Cultural Institute,” a digital visual archive of historical
events in co-operation with 17 museums and institutes around the world.
“We’re working to bring important cultural and historical materials
online and help preserve them for future generations,” said Yossi
Matias, head of Google’s Research and Development Center in Israel. “Our
partnership with the Israel Antiquities Authority is another step
toward enabling users to enjoy cultural material around the world.”
Post from: SiteProNews
Google Helps Bring Biblical History to the Internet
