What Are Dead Sea Scrolls?

The Dead Sea Scrolls generally consist of approximately 825-872 documents, counting texts from the Hebrew Bible, exposed during 1947 and 1956 in eleven caves in and across the Wadi Qumran located in West bank.

These texts are of immense religious and historic importance, as they are virtually the only known Biblical document penned prior to AD 100. On the basis of carbon dating, textual investigation and writing analysis, the documents were put down on paper all through mid 2nd century BC and the 1st century AD.

Nearly 80 to 85 per cent of the Dead Sea Scrolls are penned in one of three languages of Hebrew, Biblical Hebrew and proto-Tannaitic Hebrew, like in the Copper Scroll and the MMT text. Similar written matter was found nearby places of West bank like fortress of Masada.