קומראן خربة قمران | |
 | |
  Shown within State of Palestine | |
| Location | Kalya |
|---|---|
| Region | West Bank |
| Coordinates | 31°44′27″N 35°27′31″E / 31.74083°N 35.45861°E |
| Type | Settlement |
| History | |
| Founded | Between 134 and 104 BCE or slightly later |
| Abandoned | 68 CE or shortly after |
| Periods | Hellenistic to Roman period |
| Cultures | Second Temple Judaism |
| Associated with | Hasmoneans, Essenes(?) |
| Site notes | |
| Condition | In ruins |
| Management | Israel Nature and Parks Authority |
| Public access | yes |
Qumran (Hebrew: קומראן; Arabic: خربة قمران Khirbet Qumran) is an archaeological site in the West Bank managed by Israel's Qumran National Park.[1] It is located on a dry marl plateau about 1.5 km (1 mi) from the northwestern shore of the Dead Sea, about 10 km (6 mi) south of the historic city of Jericho, and adjacent to the modern Israeli settlement and kibbutz of Kalya.
The Hellenistic period settlement was constructed during the reign of Hasmonean leader John Hyrcanus (134–104 BCE) or somewhat later.[2] Qumran was inhabited by a Jewish sect of the late Second Temple period, which most scholars identify with the Essenes; however, other Jewish groups were also suggested.[3][4][5] It was occupied most of the time until 68 CE and was destroyed by the Romans during the First Jewish–Roman War, possibly as late as 73 CE. It was later used by Jewish rebels during the Bar Kokhba revolt.[6] Today, the Qumran site is best known as the settlement nearest to the Qumran Caves where the Dead Sea Scrolls were hidden, caves in the sheer desert cliffs and beneath, in the marl terrace. The principal excavations at Qumran were conducted by Roland de Vaux in the 1950s, and several later digs have been carried out.
Since the 1967 Six-Day War, Qumran has been managed by the Israel Nature and Parks Authority.
- ^ "Qumran National Park". Israel Nature and Parks Authority. Archived from the original on 31 May 2014. Retrieved 30 May 2014.
- ^ Collins, John J. (15 April 2016). The Apocalyptic Imagination: An Introduction to Jewish Apocalyptic Literature (3rd ed.). Grand Rapids, Michigan: Eerdmans. pp. 185–186. ISBN 978-1-4674-4517-7. OCLC 948605723.
- ^ Stegemann, Hartmut (1992-01-01). "The Qumran Essenes - Local Members of the Main Jewish Union in Late Second Temple Times". The Madrid Qumran Congress (2 Vols.): 83–166. doi:10.1163/9789004350120_006. ISBN 978-90-04-35012-0.
The identity of the people living at Chirbet Qumran in late Second Temple times is still debated. The majority of scholars favour some kind of Qumran Essene hypothesis.
- ^ Hempel, Charlotte (2012-04-01). "Beyond the Qumran Community: The Sectarian Movement of the Dead Sea Scrolls". Journal of Jewish Studies. 63 (1): 160–161. doi:10.18647/3077/jjs-2012. ISSN 0022-2097.
- ^ ATKINSON, KENNETH; MAGNESS, JODI (2010). "Josephus's Essenes and the Qumran Community". Journal of Biblical Literature. 129 (2): 317–342. doi:10.2307/27821022. ISSN 0021-9231. JSTOR 27821022.
- ^ "Qumrān | region, Middle East | Britannica". www.britannica.com. Retrieved 2022-03-25.