qumran cave

qumran cave Latest

A portion of the recently deciphered Dead Sea Scroll 4Q324d containing a 364-day calendar used by the Qumran community in the Judean Desert. Photo: Courtesy of the University of Haifa.

Jun 26 Blog

Deciphered Dead Sea Scroll Reveals 364-Day Calendar

Researchers recently deciphered one of the last two remaining Dead Sea Scrolls. Written in code, the scroll describes a 364-day calendar used by the Qumran community that lived in the Judean Desert.

Apr 10 Blog

The Masoretic Text and the Dead Sea Scrolls

By: BAS Staff

Do insights from the Dead Sea Scrolls add to the Masoretic text, and if so, should the original Hebrew Bible text be modified based this information? Scholars from both sides of the divide weigh in on this issue.

Mar 21 eBook

Masada: The Dead Sea’s Desert Fortress

By: BAS Admin

Herod’s desert fortress on the mountaintop of Masada has been immortalized as an enduring symbol of Jewish pride and determination. Although the stronghold was built by the megalomaniac King Herod, it was made famous as the site of the last stand between the besieged Jewish rebels and the relentlessly advancing Romans in the First Jewish Revolt in 73/74 A.D. What is the archaeological evidence for the siege of Masada?

Dec 28 Blog

New Dead Sea Scroll Caves?

By: Megan Sauter

Archaeologists have identified two new caves that may have once held Dead Sea Scrolls.

Feb 20 Blog

Lawrence H. Schiffman on the Dead Sea Scrolls’ History

By: Robin Ngo

In the May/June 2015 issue of BAR, Lawrence H. Schiffman describes the Dead Sea Scrolls’ history, from their discovery in the Qumran caves to the state of present-day scroll research.

Feb 21 Blog

Did Archaeologists Really Discover a New Dead Sea Scroll Cave?

By: Robert Cargill

Did archaeologists excavating a cave west of the Dead Sea settlement of Qumran find a new Dead Sea Scroll cave? Scholar Robert R. Cargill examines the evidence.

Jan 4 Blog

Where Were the Dead Sea Scrolls Found and Who Put Them There?

By: Biblical Archaeology Society Staff

For nearly 2,000 years, the Qumran caves protected the secrets of the Dead Sea Scrolls. Might the same caves also shed light on the mystery of who deposited the scrolls there in the first place?

Oct 6 Blog

The Cities That Built the Bible

By: Biblical Archaeology Society Staff

Cynthia Shafer-Elliott reviews "The Cities That Built the Bible" by Robert R. Cargill.

Sep 23 Blog

Qumran Phylacteries Reveal Nine New Dead Sea Scrolls

By: Noah Wiener

Nine small Dead Sea Scroll fragments were discovered in ancient phylacteries, or tefillin.

Dec 11 Blog

Dead Sea Scrolls History: Looking Back on the Last 75 Years

By: Megan Sauter

In an exclusive Bible History Daily interview, Dead Sea Scroll scholars Peter Flint, Martin Abegg and Andrew Perrin—directors of North America’s only research center dedicated to Qumran studies—reflect on some major moments in recent Qumran scholarship and pressing issues that lie ahead.

Must-Read Free eBooks

The Dead Sea Scrolls: Past, Present, and Future

Biblical Peoples—The World of Ancient Israel

Who Was Jesus? Exploring the History of Jesus’ Life

Ancient Israel in Egypt and the Exodus

More Free eBooks

Want more Bible history?

Join Us on an Educational Journey

For more than 40 years, the Biblical Archaeology Society has partnered with world-renowned hosts and guides to provide you exceptional educational offerings in the archaeology of the Biblical lands and in Biblical studies.

Learn More