Discovery and early study of the Dead Sea Scrolls
- Date of account
- 1947–1960s
- Location
- Qumran and nearby Judaean Desert caves
- Source
- model_recalled_reference
- Record updated
- 2026-10-10
Record summary
Bedouin discoveries beginning in 1947 and subsequent archaeological work revealed biblical manuscripts, sectarian writings, legal texts, and other documents in caves near Qumran. The corpus matters for comparing textual transmission, Jewish diversity, scribal practice, and the relationship between manuscripts and settlement archaeology. Uncertainties concern provenance for some fragments, dating of individual documents, the identity of the community associated with the site, and the pace and politics of publication. These are ancient texts and archaeological materials, not evidence of paranormal claims.
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