A portion of the Dead Sea Scrolls, considered the most important archaeological find of the 20th century, is coming to Seattle next year.

At least 10 of the ancient manuscripts will be on display at the Pacific Science Center for three months beginning in September 2006. The exhibit also will include scores of artifacts, from ink wells and coins to leather sandals, that illuminate life in the Middle East shortly before the dawn of Christianity.

"We'll tell a story, based on these historical documents and artifacts, about life 2,000 years ago," said Bryce Seidl, president and CEO of the Pacific Science Center.

Discovered by a Bedouin goat-herder in 1947 and excavated over the following decade, the scrolls include the oldest-known copies of the Old Testament, along with hymn books, biblical commentaries and rules for living a pious life. The more than 800 documents range from parchment rolls 30 feet long to tiny fragments, and date from between 250 B.C. to 65 A.D.

"They're phenomenally important for biblical scholars," said Scott Noegel, professor of biblical and ancient Near Eastern studies at the University of Washington. Noegel has studied copies of the manuscripts and visited the repository in Jerusalem where they are kept.

The documents provide a rich view of the many sects of Judaism that existed at the time, and provide insight into the writing of the Bible and the way it was faithfully transmitted from generation to generation, he said.

Penned in Hebrew and Aramaic, the manuscripts also include writings never before seen in religious texts, such as an extra psalm and stories about the biblical characters Abraham and Noah. Scholars are uncertain about the scrolls' authorship. Some believe they were part of a library maintained by a Jewish sect that lived in the area, Noegel said.

The Seattle exhibit will explore the role of science in revealing the scrolls' secrets, Seidl said.

High-tech imaging that can read through several layers of parchment is used to help sort though fragments and piece together larger documents. DNA analysis can determine whether different scrolls came from the hide of the same animal. Other chemical tests can show whether documents were produced in the region of Jordan where they were discovered, or elsewhere.

"We will be talking about how modern science can allow us to go back and understand where we came from in terms of our civilization, our culture and our faith," Seidl said.

The Pacific Science Center has committed to the exhibit, but hasn't yet raised the $2.4 million it will cost to mount it, Seidl said. The museum sent out letters this week soliciting donations from the community.

The exhibit is sure to be popular.

"I think it will be up there with King Tut," said Noegel, who consulted with the center on the exhibit design. "The ancient world has a draw, and the Dead Sea Scrolls have had a buzz for many years."

The San Diego Natural History Museum, where the scrolls will be exhibited after Seattle, is expecting 400,000 visitors during a six-month run, according to a report in the San Diego Union-Tribune. Museums in Grand Rapids, Mich., and Mobile, Ala., broke attendance records with more than 200,000 visitors each during recent three-month scroll exhibits, the paper reported.

The Seattle exhibit is being planned in cooperation with the Discovery Place museum in Charlotte, N.C.

"This is an amazingly powerful story," Seidl said. "It's an opportunity for people who are spiritual to experience some of the earliest biblical writings, and it's equally important for those who are simply curious about history."

Sandi Doughton: 206-464-2491 or sdoughton@seattletimes.com