Dead Sea Scrolls: Determining Their Legitimacy

Many scholars were excited as more fragments linked to the ancient Dead Sea Scrolls began surfacing on the antiquities market beginning around 2000. But are they real? There’s no question about the legitimacy of the original 10,00 fragments found in 1947 and now housed predominantly in a museum in Jerusalem. Today, a heated debate has divided scholars and institutions and raised questions about the methods and ethics involved in validating ancient textual fragments. These questions reflect doubts about fragments of the scrolls that have more recently surfaced—especially after it was discovered that fragments purchased, displayed, and published by several wealthy evangelical collectors were fake. This includes a collection housed at the D.C.-based Museum of the Bible.

Colette Loll, a leading art-fraud expert, explains new scientific protocols designed to restore confidence in the arcane world of authenticating textual artifacts. She also delves into how ideological biases affect the way collectors and experts view important religious materials.

Patron Information

• If you register multiple individuals, you will be asked to supply individual names and email addresses so they can receive a Zoom link email. Please note that if there is a change in program schedule or a cancellation, we will notify you via email, and it will be your responsibility to notify other registrants in your group.
• Unless otherwise noted, registration for streaming programs typically closes two hours prior to the start time on the date of the program.
• Once registered, patrons should receive an automatic email confirmation from CustomerService@SmithsonianAssociates.org.
• Separate Zoom link information will be emailed closer to the date of the program. If you do not receive your Zoom link information 24 hours prior to the start of the program, please email Customer Service for assistance.
• View Common FAQs about our Streaming Programs on Zoom.