Dead Sea Scrolls exhibit opens in Minn.

ST. PAUL, Minn., March 17 (UPI) -- The Science Museum of Minnesota says it has opened an exhibition called "The Dead Sea Scrolls: Words That Changed the World."

"This exhibition offers visitors an exclusive chance to explore the greatest archaeological discovery of the 20th century -- one that has great historic and personal meaning to people all over the world," the museum said in a news release. "The scrolls, which are approximately 2,000 years old, include fragments of the earliest known texts of the Bible. After their initial discovery along the western shores of the Dead Sea near the ancient settlement of Qumran, archaeologists have excavated and pieced together tens of thousands of scroll fragments into more than 900 separate documents -- from biblical manuscripts and commentary to religious legal writings. These ancient Hebrew writing fragments are now archived and conserved by the Israel Antiquities Authority and, on rare occasion, are put on public display at world-class museums."

Visitors to the exhibition in Minnesota are invited to explore galleries devoted to setting the Dead Sea Scrolls story into context. In addition to the scrolls, visitors also will be allowed to see more than 200 ancient artifacts that give them a glimpse into everyday life in Israel during the famous Second Temple Period, organizers said.

The show opened last Friday and is to run at the St. Paul museum through Oct. 24.