What does Jordan want with the Dead Sea Scrolls?

[Rubato 1]

See this article here

The Canadian government says it will not act upon a request by the Jordanian government that it seize the 2,000-year-old Dead Sea scrolls, now on their last day of display at the Royal Ontario Museum in Toronto.
Discovered in 1947 by Bedouin tribesmen in caves bordering Israel and Jordan, the 100,000 fragments of ancient religious parchment and papyrus manuscripts have been a source of conflict between Israelis, Jordanians and Palestinians — who all claim ownership.
Jordan formally asked Canada to seize the 16 scrolls, which have been on display at the ROM since last June. Jan. 3 is the last day the scrolls will be exhibited.

This is crazy!

 

[grahame]

Wish people were as enthusiastic about my old books. I'd have a field day on ebay.

 

[David Michael Harris]

Wish people were as enthusiastic about my old books. I'd have a field day on ebay.

I agree, make a fortune.

But stuff that has been stolen should be given, back, it may even help Christianity in the east.

Including the Rosetta stone and Elgin marbles.

We think we can waltz on in and rape a country of it's rights.

It may even show how shallow our own country is.

 

[Johnv]

What does Jordan want with the Dead Sea Scrolls?

It's likely an issue over ownership of antiquities,similar to Egypt aggressively working to have ancient artifacts returned to Egypt. Jordan has only recently taken a greater interest in their archeological history, which might explain why this wasn't an issue, say 10 or 20 years ago.

That said, Jordan will have a difficult time making a case for ownership, since the Dead Sea Scrolls cannot be difinitively said to have come from Jordanian territory.

 

[Forever settled in heaven]

It's likely an issue over ownership of antiquities,similar to Egypt aggressively working to have ancient artifacts returned to Egypt. Jordan has only recently taken a greater interest in their archeological history, which might explain why this wasn't an issue, say 10 or 20 years ago.

That said, Jordan will have a difficult time making a case for ownership, since the Dead Sea Scrolls cannot be difinitively said to have come from Jordanian territory.

fwiw:

the portion in red (Arab/Jordanian) appears to cover the northern part of the Dead Sea, including the Qumran region where the scrolls were found.

 

[David Michael Harris]

Nice map. Thanks.

 

[Baptist4life]

They probably want them to use because they're coming out with a new Bible translation! :smilewinkgrin:

 

[David Michael Harris]

Let's hope it's a good one.

 

[Rubato 1]

I agree, make a fortune.

But stuff that has been stolen should be given, back, it may even help Christianity in the east.

Including the Rosetta stone and Elgin marbles.

We think we can waltz on in and rape a country of it's rights.

It may even show how shallow our own country is.

I don't think the location of artifacts will have much affect on the presence of one religion or another.

This 'stuff' was not stolen, though. For the most part, the host nations did not want the items in the first place. One of the archeologists I read (Carter?) shared that mummies were dug out of graves and used for steam locomotives because they burned so well! There goes Pharaoh Khufu! Most of what 'we' took was a rescue of the artifacts, if anything. From my perspective, the British museum has as much right to the Rosetta Stone as the Cairo Museum does.

To say that a 'country was "raped" of its rights' or 'property' is to pass along sensationalism at the expense of the true facts and real issues.

IMHO,