Qumran
A settlement on the north-western shore of the Dead Sea, beside the caves where the Dead Sea Scrolls were found from 1947. The scrolls include the oldest known manuscripts of much of the Hebrew Bible, a thousand years older than the copies previously available. The site is not named in scripture.
What we know — and how we know it
Archaeology — physical evidence · 1
Scholarly — supported scholarly belief · 1
Life, role & deeds
Peter van der Sluijs — CC BY-SA 4.0 (via Wikimedia Commons)
ArchaeologyThe caves at Qumran yielded the Dead Sea Scrolls — including a complete Isaiah scroll a thousand years older than any Hebrew Bible manuscript known before.
Great Isaiah Scroll (1QIsaᵃ), Qumran Cave 1 (discovered 1947), now in the Shrine of the Book, Israel Museum, Jerusalem; editio princeps in Millar Burrows (ed.), The Dead Sea Scrolls of St. Mark's Monastery, vol. 1 (New Haven: ASOR, 1950)
ScholarlyMost scholars link the settlement to the Essenes, a strict Jewish community of the Second Temple period.
Scholarly consensus on Qumran & the Essenes
