Definition: The archaeological site of Khirbet Qumran is an ancient cave site, from whence was pulled the first of the Dead Sea Scrolls in 1947 and 1948, causing all kinds of trouble. There are at least seven additional caves in Wadi Qumran.
The site itself was excavated beginning in the 1950s by a joint expedition of the Ecole Biblique and the Department of Antiquities in Jordan led by Roland de Vaux. The site was first occupied during the Iron Age, and then re-established about 125 BC as a Hasmonean outpost. It had a fairly turbulent history, but was finally abandoned during the Bar Kokhba Revolt (AD 132-135).
See the Dead Sea Scrolls exhibit for more information.
The site itself was excavated beginning in the 1950s by a joint expedition of the Ecole Biblique and the Department of Antiquities in Jordan led by Roland de Vaux. The site was first occupied during the Iron Age, and then re-established about 125 BC as a Hasmonean outpost. It had a fairly turbulent history, but was finally abandoned during the Bar Kokhba Revolt (AD 132-135).
See the Dead Sea Scrolls exhibit for more information.
Source
Kingley, Sean 2007 Battle for the Dead Sea Scrolls: Sixty years of controversy. Minerva 18(1):9-14.This glossary entry is part of the Dictionary of Archaeology.
Also Known As: Qumran
