OCCUPATIONAL HAZARDS of working with the Dead Sea Scrolls, Part 2:

All that hardware in his suitcase? And vodka, too?

UNION-TRIBUNE

July 15, 2006

Israeli airport security guards grew suspicious when they opened the suitcase of Michael Hager, head of the San Diego Natural History Museum. The bottom was loaded with straps, strips of metal, gels, putty, glue and other hardware.

For two hours, Hager tried to convince inspectors that he was bringing an earthquake safety kit to the Israeli Antiquities Authority to secure its priceless historic heirlooms.

In preparation for next year's Natural History Museum exhibit on the Dead Sea Scrolls, Hager had earlier visited the authority's museum in earthquake-prone East Jerusalem and discovered 10,000-year-old artifacts unsecured and vulnerable.

[...]

He did get on the plane eventually, and they even let him keep his bottle of vodka.