From the Announcement (via Israel Antiquities):
As part of the celebrations on the occasion of the 20th anniversary of its establishment, the Israel Antiquities Authority is launching a unique project – The Leon Levy Dead Sea Scrolls Digital Library – to document the entire collection of the Dead Sea Srolls.
A major lead gift from the Leon Levy Foundation, with additional major funding from the Arcadia Foundation and the support of Yad Hanadiv Foundation, will enable the Israel Antiquities Authority [IAA] to use the most advanced and innovative technologies available to image the entire collection of 900 manuscripts comprising c. 30,000 Dead Sea Scrolls fragments in hi-resolution and multi spectra and make the digitized images freely available and accessible to anyone anywhere in the world on the internet. This is the first time that the collection of Scrolls will be photographed in its entirety since the 1950’s.
The IAA announced this morning that it is collaborating with the Google R&D center in Israel in this milestone project to upload not only all of the digitized Scrolls images but also additional data online that will allow users to perform meaningful searches across a broad range of data in a number of languages and formats, which will result in unprecedented scholarly and popular access to the Scrolls and related research and scholarship and should lead to new insights into the world of the Scrolls.
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The announcement this morning comes after 3 years of research in which the IAA investigated the best imaging technologies, information systems, and preservation methods and raised the necessary funds to begin the project.
The press announcement also mentions that the imaging technology (developed by MegaVision will be delivered to the IAA’s lab early in 2011.
See Also: Access the Complete News Release
See Also: Learn More About MegaVision
+ Haaretz
The scrolls will be photographed using an advanced photography technique utilizing 11 different light waves which is supposed to reveal letters and inscriptions unapparent to the naked eye.
The camera being built for the project is valued at the cost of over $250,000 and will be positioned in the Antiquities Authority in Jerusalem.
Press Coverage From the AP (via Yahoo News)
See Also: Download Hi-Resolution Imagery from the IAA
Details about images at the bottom of news release.
Hat Tip and Thanks: Randy H.
Via Resource Shelf
