Location and Identification
Qumran is located on the western shore of the Dead Sea, identifiable with ‘Ir (City of Salt)
mentioned in the Bible (Joshua 15:61-62).
History
Iron age
Early Settlement: The earliest settlement dates back to the Israelite period, with structures from the 8th to the early 6th century BCE, destroyed during the fall of the Kingdom of Judah.
Hellenistic to Roman Period
Resettlement: After centuries of abandonment, Qumran was resettled, reusing the remnants of Israelite buildings. The community flourished during the Hellenistic period, particularly under John Hyrcanus and Alexander Jannaeus, with significant expansions and the construction of communal buildings.
Destruction and Reoccupation: The site was struck by an earthquake and a fire around 31 BCE, leading to a temporary abandonment. It was reoccupied shortly after, continuing its communal lifestyle until its destruction in 68 CE during the Jewish Revolt against Rome.
Excavations
- The first Dead Sea Scrolls were discovered by Bedouin shepherds in 1947 in Cave 1, near the northwestern shore of the Dead Sea.
- In 1949, the site of the cave was excavated by a joint expedition from the Jordan Department of Antiquities, the Palestine Archaeological Museum (now the Rockefeller Museum), and the Ecole Biblique et Archeologique Française.
- Khirbet Qumran, located about 1 km south of the cave and slightly farther west of the Dead Sea, was excavated under the same auspices in five successive campaigns from 1951 to 1956. The last campaign also surveyed the region between Qumran and ‘Ein Feshkha, about 3 km to the south, where a building complex was excavated in 1958.
Findings
- Community Life: Excavations revealed a complex of buildings, including a large dining hall/refectory, pottery workshop, scriptorium, and elaborate water systems suggesting ritual purification practices. An extensive cemetery with over 1,100 graves indicates a significant, organized community.
- Scrolls and Manuscripts: The discovery of the Dead Sea Scrolls near Qumran in caves has been pivotal. These manuscripts provide insights into the community’s beliefs, practices, and the sectarian life that distinguished them from mainstream Judaism.
- Connection with the Essenes: Most scholars link the Qumran community with the Essenes, a conclusion supported by the archaeological evidence and the descriptions by Pliny the Elder of the Essenes living in isolation near the Dead Sea.
Sources
Stern, Ephraim-New Encyclopedia of Archaeological Excavations in the Holy Land 4-Israel Exploration Society (1993)
Biblical hiking map