Dead Sea Scrolls, above, are considered one of the most important artifacts ever found.
Dating from the third century BCE to the first century CE, the Dead Sea Scrolls were discovered between 1947 and 1956 in eleven caves on the northwestern shores of the Dead Sea. For years the scrolls were only accessible to the top scholars. But now, thanks to a collaboration between Google and Israel Museum in Jerusalem, the scrolls have been digitized and placed online for all.
The website for the Dead Sea Scrolls allows viewers access to searchable, fast-loading, high-resolution images of the scrolls, as well as short explanatory videos and background information on the texts and their history. The photographs were taken at upto 1200 megapixel by Ardon Bar-Hama, using a Leaf digital back and Alpha camera. The incredible level of zoom on the website allows for extremely up-close and minute scrutiny of the scrolls.
The Dead Sea Scrolls, which include the oldest known biblical manuscripts in existence, offer critical insight into the time of the birth of Christianity and Rabbinic Judaism.
