The Dead Sea Scrolls

Research Brief

The topic I have chosen for my assignment is the Dead Sea Scrolls, one of archaeology's greatest mysteries.  I'd heard about them but knew very little and was curious to learn more.  There's always been an air of mystery and fascination about them.  They are the largest, oldest body of manuscripts found that relate to the Bible and the time of Jesus, as well as being a commentary of what life was like for the Essene sect, a community of Jewish ascetics, i.e. people who renounce all material comfort and lead a life of austerity.  Fragments of every book of the Hebrew Old Testament except one, have been discovered in the find.  Mostly in Hebrew, some of the scrolls are written in Aramaic and a few in Greek.  Initially discovered by accident in a cave in the village of Qumran, by the Dead Sea, by a humble Bedouin shepherd while looking for his lost goat, further searching located more documents in a total of eleven caves, resulting in over 900 fragments of the ancient scrolls.  They were most likely written during the period between 200BC-68AD, it is believed that they were hidden in the caves to protect them against the advancing Roman army during the outbreak of the First Jewish Revolt in 66AD-70AD.  There they remained until their discovery in 1949.

I plan to use several books, encyclopedias and websites to research the content and the historical importance of the scrolls, as well as the personalities involved in bringing them out into the open and making them available to the public.  I will follow the developments that have taken place in their care right up to present day, including the exciting concept of the scrolls going digital and being made available online for all to see later this year.  I will attach photographs and images to enhance my assignment.  I shall sift through the online information and select facts from reliable sources only.  I hope to present an essay that is informative and interesting.