Qumran

Qumran

קומראן خربة قمران
Caves at Qumran
Shown within the Palestinian territories
Location	Kalya
Region	West Bank
Coordinates	31°44′27″N 35°27′31″E / 31.74083°N 35.45861°E / 31.74083; 35.45861Coordinates: 31°44′27″N 35°27′31″E / 31.74083°N 35.45861°E / 31.74083; 35.45861
Type	Settlement
History
Founded	Between 134-104 BCE or slightly later
Abandoned	68 CE or shortly after
Periods	Hellenistic to Roman Empire

Qumran (Hebrew: קומראן‎‎; Arabic: خربة قمران‎‎ Khirbet Qumran) is an archaeological site in the West Bank managed by Israel's Qumran National Park. It is located on a dry plateau about 1.5 km (1 mi) from the northwestern shore of the Dead Sea, near the Israeli settlement and kibbutz of Kalya. The Hellenistic period settlement was constructed during the reign of John Hyrcanus, 134-104 BCE or somewhat later, and was occupied most of the time until it was destroyed by the Romans in 68 CE or shortly after. It is best known as the settlement nearest to the Qumran Caves where the Dead Sea Scrolls were hidden, caves in the sheer desert cliffs and beneath, in the marl terrace. The principal excavations at Qumran were conducted by Roland de Vaux in the 1950s, though several later unearthings at the site have since been carried out.

Since the discovery of the Dead Sea Scrolls in 1947-1956, extensive excavations have taken place in Qumran. Nearly 900 scrolls were discovered. Most were written on parchment and some on papyrus. Cisterns, Jewish ritual baths, and cemeteries have been found, along with a dining or assembly room and debris from an upper story alleged by some to have been a scriptorium as well as pottery kilns and a tower.