COPTIC TEXTILES: Until Summer of 2010, the Tandy Museum had yet to complete its comprehensive evaluation of all collections held in storage and archives. In conjunction with its Database Project, staff members have been working tirelessly to establish object descriptions and provenances of all objects where possible. In the course of this study, a document surfaced providing a viable source of period and provenance for two exquisite Coptic textile fragments. This document along with supporting comparative research places their date of manufacture between the 4th and 6th centuries AD. The textiles are currently being mounted and consolidated for preservation and eventual display in the museum.
WIDOW'S MITES: These coins which were conserved in 2009 have little monetary worth, as illustrated in the Book of Mark "less than a fraction of a cent". However, their educational value is significant. Dating from the early Roman Period (cir. 100 BC-100AD) this assemblage of coins provides a physical example of those mites referenced in scripture, from the story of the Widow's Offering to the Lord.
THE RANDY BEST COLLECTION: The Tandy Archaeological Museum has recently been loaned a substantial body of cuneiform documents belonging to Mr. Randy Best, local collector and patron. A portion of these documents was been included for display in the Written Word exhibit last year. The remainder were retained in the conservation lab at the andy museum for treatment. Given the extremely delicate nature of the clay material with which the documents were manufactured, and the presence of salt crystalization throughout the cermaic matrix of most obnjectsd, the treatment phase was highly intensive. Over the course of 5 mounths, these objects were chemically and physically stabalized from presservation and research.
Following conservation in January of 2010, this collection was sent to the photographic lab of the West Semitic Research Project (WSRP) to be photographed
in high-resolution digital formate. Following digitization these images will be
included in a web accessible database of over 50,000 inscriptions, utilized by institutions and researchers in over 37 countries. Through this means of physical conservation and digital preservation it is intended that these rare documents will continue to be accessible for study and research in many years to come. Hopefully, through future scholarly collaboration, we may acquire a stronger notion for their temporal placement and textual content.
