Overview
The discovery of the Dead Sea Scrolls ranks as
one of the most prominent archaeological events of the twentieth century. Because of their
unearthing, we now know more about the Essenes than any other Jewish group of the Second
Temple period.
Bedouin shepherds discovered the first seven scrolls in 1947.
Since that time, over 700 manuscripts have been found in eleven caves surrounding Khirbet
Qumran (Caves I–XI), the site of an abandoned community located on the northwestern
corner of the Dead Sea.
The archaeological case for connecting the scrolls with the
community at Qumran was originally made by Roland de Vaux, the initial excavator of
Khirbet Qumran. His conclusions have since been accepted by most researchers. De Vaux
upheld the linkage by observing that the pottery in the caves can be dated to the same
period as the abandoned site (I CE), and, moreover, that inscriptions on ostraca
(potsherds) found at Qumran match the style of writing found in the scrolls.
The link between the scrolls and the Essenes has been
ascertained through a comparison of the sectarian writings with descriptions of the
Essenes found in the first-century writings of Philo, Josephus and Pliny the Elder.
Although discrepancies exist between the accounts, the similarities are striking and have
convinced most researchers that the Dead Sea sect and the Essenes are one and the same.
In his description of the sect, the Jewish
philosopher Philo pointedly mentions that the Essenes met in "sacred places [hierous
. . . topous] which they call synagogues [synagôgai]" (Prob. 81). He
goes on to write:
There, arranged in rows according to their ages, the younger below the
elder, they sit decorously as befits the occasion with attentive ears. Then one takes the
books and reads aloud and another of especial proficiency comes forward and expounds what
is not understood (Prob. 82-83).
De Vaux identified
two areas amid the Qumran ruins as places of assembly: locus 4, a room with benches along
four walls, and locus 77, the refectory or dining room that contained the base of a podium
on the west end of the room. Apropos this latter identification, the Jewish
historian Josephus wrote that the Essenes would assemble into their refectory "as to
some sacred shrine [hagion . . . temenos]" (Jewish War 2.130).
Recently, excavations by Hanan Eshel and
Magen Broshi have revealed that the Essenes actually dwelt in caves and tents surrounding
the main complex. This suggests that the communal area, with its numerous ritual baths,
was reserved as the cultic center of the Essenes. By surrounding this center with their
tents, the Essenes appear to have been imitating the ancient Israelites, who likewise
encircled the Tabernacle with their tents in the wilderness of Sinai.
Aerial view of Khirbet Qumran. The Jewish Philosopher Philo wrote that the Essenes met
in "sacred places [hierous . . . topous] which they call synagogues [synagogai]"
(Prob. 81). Roland de Vaux, the excavator of the Essene community at Qumran, identified
locus 4 as an assembly room because benches exist along all four walls. The refectory or
dining hall (locus 77) also appears to have been an assembly hall since there is a
circular paved area on the west end of the room that was clearly used as the base of a
podium. The Jewish historian Josephus wrote that the Essenes would assemble into their
refectory "as to some sacred shrine [hagion . . . temenos]" (Jewish War
2.130).
Plan of the Qumran complex. (Click image for more detail.)
View of locus 77, looking towards the southeast. The axis of this congregational dining
room is aligned with Jerusalem.
Other Sites Devoted to Qumran or the Dead Sea Scrolls:
Qumran
