Medieval Hebrew document could reveal why Dead Sea Scrolls were found in Qumran

By Tom Metcalfe about 7 hours ago

Damascus Covenant could hold the answers.

An ancient Hebrew document created more than 1,000 years ago and stashed away in Cairo may unlock a secret of the Dead Sea Scrolls.

Scholars of the scrolls have long wondered why so many fragments of the mysterious manuscripts — more than 15,000 pieces of more than 900 original documents — were hidden in caves around Qumran, in the hills of the Judean Desert just west of the Dead Sea in Israel, seemingly far from any major settlements.

The nearby archaeological site of Qumran itself also presents similar mysteries. For instance, why was its pantry so well-stocked, with more than a thousand pottery storage vessels and hundreds of bowls, plates and cups — but excavations show very few people ever lived there? What was the purpose of a large open-air terrace called the "southern esplanade" in Qumran, and why is it walled off from a nearby cemetery? And why were Qumran's many ritual baths, or "miqva'ot,"so large?

An ancient Hebrew document created more than 1,000 years ago and stashed away in Cairo may unlock a secret of the Dead Sea Scrolls.

Scholars of the scrolls have long wondered why so many fragments of the mysterious manuscripts — more than 15,000 pieces of more than 900 original documents — were hidden in caves around Qumran, in the hills of the Judean Desert just west of the Dead Sea in Israel, seemingly far from any major settlements.

The nearby archaeological site of Qumran itself also presents similar mysteries. For instance, why was its pantry so well-stocked, with more than a thousand pottery storage vessels and hundreds of bowls, plates and cups — but excavations show very few people ever lived there? What was the purpose of a large open-air terrace called the "southern esplanade" in Qumran, and why is it walled off from a nearby cemetery? And why were Qumran's many ritual baths, or "miqva'ot,"so large?

More:
https://www.livescience.com/medieval-damascus-document-dead-sea-scroll-mystery?utm_source=notification