Qumran
According to some archeologists, the ruins of Qumran may have been a trading post; others believe that at the time of the First Jewish Revolt against Rome (a.d. 66–73) it was a communal settlement of the Essenes, an ascetic Jewish sect that may have influenced the earliest Christians. The Dead Sea Scrolls (the oldest existing copies of Jewish holy scriptures, plus other hitherto unknown extra Biblical writings) were discovered in 1947 in caves overlooking Qumran, leading many to believe the scrolls may have been written by Essene scribes. Others believe the scrolls may have been brought from libraries in Jerusalem and hidden in the caves in advance of the Roman destruction of Jerusalem in a.d. 70. Check out the stone platforms in the ruins of Qumran’s “Scriptorim,” where some scholars postulate scribes labored over the scrolls. Others feel these low structures could not possibly have been writing tables for normal size human beings. A video and brochures at the modern, air-conditioned Visitor’s Center and cafe explain the mysteries of the site.
According to some archeologists, the ruins of Qumran may have been a trading post; others believe that at the time of the First Jewish Revolt against Rome (a.d. 66–73) it was a communal settlement of the Essenes, an ascetic Jewish sect that may have influenced the earliest Christians. The Dead Sea Scrolls (the oldest existing copies of Jewish holy scriptures, plus other hitherto unknown extra Biblical writings) were discovered in 1947 in caves overlooking Qumran, leading many to believe the scrolls may have been written by Essene scribes. Others believe the scrolls may have been brought from libraries in Jerusalem and hidden in the caves in advance of the Roman destruction of Jerusalem in a.d. 70. Check out the stone platforms in the ruins of Qumran’s “Scriptorim,” where some scholars postulate scribes labored over the scrolls. Others feel these low structures could not possibly have been writing tables for normal size human beings. A video and brochures at the modern, air-conditioned Visitor’s Center and cafe explain the mysteries of the site.
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