What are the Dead Sea Scrolls?

The Dead Sea Scrolls are religious writings that were first discovered in 1947, hidden in caves near the Dead Sea. The dry atmosphere of the caves had the effect of preserving the scrolls. About 800 scrolls have been found, mostly in a place called Qumbran in Israel. They date from between 150 BC and AD 68. They include all of the books of the Old Testament oe Hebrew Bible except for Esther.

Scholars believed that the scrolls were concealed by members of a religious sect called the Essenes, who lived in isolated community. They hid the scrolls to keep them safe during political unrest in the area, where they remained hidden for hundreds of years.