Qumran

Khirbet Qumran means “the ruins of Qumran.” This site is located near the northwestern shore of the Dead Sea, about 10 miles south of Jericho. The Dead Sea Scrolls (DSS) were found in various caves in this area.     

Qumran was inhabited by a group of Jews called the Essenes (c. 134 BCE to 68 CE). They fled to the wilderness because of disagreements with the Hasmoneans (who usurped kingship and high priesthood) and the Sadducean Priesthood in Jerusalem (whom they viewed as corrupt) and formed a community according to their interpretation of God’s law and to wait for the arrival of the Messiah.