History Fact Finder | Religion - What Are The Dead Sea Scrolls?

What are the Dead Sea Scrolls?

The Dead Sea Scrolls are leather scrolls (rolled pieces of material upon which words or symbols are inscribed) that were discovered in caves near the Dead Sea in northwestern Palestine by two Bedouin (a nomadic tribe) shepherds in 1947. Written sometime during the first century B.C. and the first half of the first century A.D., the Dead Sea Scrolls survived the ages because they were wrapped in linen cloths and stored in earthen jars sealed with tar. Archaeologists (scientists who study the remains of ancient cultures) discovered some 300 other caves in the vicinity; twelve of them contained more scrolls. Ten complete scrolls and numerous fragments written in Hebrew and Aramaic appear to have been compiled by a group of religious believers called the Essenes. While some of the texts refer specifically to the history and activities of the Essenes, others contain books of the entire Hebrew Bible...

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