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Qumran

A view of the Qumran archaeological site from a recently excavated Dead Sea Scroll cave above, January 22, 2019. (Luke Tress/Times of Israel)
July 15, 2026, 5:56 am
Power of 7: Could an ancient political feud explain Qumran sect’s faulty 364-day calendar?
New theory offers a solution to one of the Dead Sea Scrolls’ longest-running puzzles, arguing the out-of-sync calendar was used for ideological reasons — until it felt safe to abandon it
By Zev Stub
The Great Isaiah Scroll, the oldest near-complete book of the Hebrew Bible, dating back to approximately 2,200 years ago. (Giorgio Skory/Qumran Caves Publication Project)
January 3, 2026, 8:17 am
The oldest complete biblical scroll ever found was originally split in 2, scholar finds
Study comes as ‘Great Isaiah,’ a 24-foot-long text parchment found with the Dead Sea Scrolls, set to be displayed by the Israel Museum in full for the first time since 1968
By Rossella Tercatin
Imaging technician and camera operator Shay Halevy shows on screen fragments of a newly discovered script found by Israel Antiquities Authority researcher, Oren Abelman in "Cave 11" near Qumran, at the IAA department in the Israel Museum, Jerusalem, on May 2, 2018 using multispectral imaging. (Hadas Parush/Flash90)
September 13, 2025, 1:00 pm
Computers taught to read Dead Sea Scrolls in hunt for clues hidden from human eyes
By combining multispectral imaging with computer vision methods, Tel Aviv University researchers give scholars new tools to read, match, and study the 2,000-year-old artifacts
By Rossella Tercatin
Isaiah Scroll from the IAA's Dead Sea Scrolls collection. (Shai Halevi, Courtesy of the Israel Antiquities Authority)
June 6, 2025, 4:45 pm
New study revolutionizes Dead Sea Scrolls dating, might rewrite Israel’s history
Trailblazing interdisciplinary system, combining AI and radiocarbon dating, indicates the precious artifacts may have been written decades – or even centuries – earlier than previously believed
By Rossella Tercatin
Samaritan priest lifting a Torah scroll (Eitan Bino/Courtesy of Museum of the Bible)
November 10, 2022, 4:02 am
Film shines a spotlight on Israel’s tiny Samaritan community fighting for its future
Trifecta of published book, film that opened Nov. 8 and ongoing exhibit examines how unique people struggle to ensure survival without compromising their unique religious practices
By Renee Ghert-Zand
A window in the ancient kitchen at Qumran National Park was used to distribute food to the multitudes of Essenes who came to perform rituals at the site. (Shmuel Bar-Am)
November 20, 2021, 6:48 am
See the source of the Dead Sea Scrolls in Qumran National Park
A sprawling compound shows that the area’s (sometimes gruesome) history, tied to an ancient Jewish sect, extends well beyond the caves made famous in 1947
By Aviva and Shmuel Bar-Am
The Damascus Document Scroll, found in Cave 4 at Qumran (Library of Congress / Wikipedia)
September 28, 2021, 11:23 pm
Ancient text said to solve mystery of why Dead Sea Scrolls were placed in Qumran
Israeli researchers believe 1,000-year-old document from Cairo Geniza shows site hosted an annual event where Essene sect gathered, bringing religious scriptures they left behind
By ToI Staff
Jeremiah Scroll from the IAA's Dead Sea Scrolls collection. (Shai Halevi, Courtesy of the Israel Antiquities Authority)
June 2, 2020, 6:24 pm
Pioneering DNA study reveals not all Dead Sea Scrolls are from Dead Sea
Breakthrough paleogenomic analysis of ancient parchment helps prove textual evolution in 2 versions of Book of Jeremiah in 2nd Temple era
By Amanda Borschel-Dan
Left: naked eye vs Right: multispectral imaging. A lamed (the letter 'L' in Hebrew) is written on the left side of the fragment and the Hebrew word 'Shabbat' is visible in the upper right hand corner. (© Copyright The University of Manchester)
May 20, 2020, 10:08 am
‘Shabbat’ revealed: UK’s ‘blank’ Dead Sea Scroll fragments yield a holy surprise
The University of Manchester’s Reed Collection was just a pile of 2,000-year-old leather scraps from Qumran — until Prof. Joan Taylor spotted one ghostly letter, then another…
By Amanda Borschel-Dan
Visitors at the Qumran archaeological site, January 22, 2019. (Luke Tress/Times of Israel)
January 1, 2020, 4:43 pm
Digging the land: The top 10 Holy Land archaeology stories of 2019
A purely subjective list from the ToI’s archaeology editor on objectively important discoveries
By Amanda Borschel-Dan
Then-IDF chief of staff Benny Gantz has a snowball fight with a family of Palestinians along the West Bank's Route 60 on December 15, 2013. (Judah Ari Gross/Israel Defense Forces)
December 29, 2019, 12:59 am
12 stories in 2019 that made Times of Israel reporters cry, laugh, cringe, cheer
As the year draws to a close, our reporters reflect on the work that touched them the most, from clambering the cliffs of Qumran to boogying at the Eurovision
By ToI Staff
Nahal Prat (Wadi Kelt), a nature reserve and park in the Judean desert, Israel (Public domain/Wikipedia)
May 22, 2019, 2:34 pm
Amid ‘extreme’ heat wave, officials close parks, restrict holiday bonfires
Temperatures to reach highs above 100° Fahrenheit by Friday, sparking fears of runaway blazes from Lag B’Omer fires
By ToI Staff
Researcher Oren Gutfeld inside Cave 52 at the Qumran archaeological site, January 22, 2019. (Luke Tress/Times of Israel)
January 24, 2019, 9:51 pm
In the Qumran cliffs, an expedition digs up new Dead Sea Scroll caves
Winter excavation yields information on how an ascetic desert community lived and where it hid its precious sacred texts — and gives pointers for where to search next
By Amanda Borschel-Dan and Photos and video: Luke Tress
From left front, Soviet President Mikhail Gorbachev, Spanish Premier Felipe Gonzales and US President George H.W. Bush pose in front of delegates at the end of the first session of the Middle East peace conference held in the Palacio Real in Madrid, Spain, on October 30, 1991. (AP Photo/Jerome Delay)
December 2, 2018, 11:47 am
One little lonely guy, many legacies: 6 things to know for December 2
George H.W. Bush isn’t remembered as a big Israel-lover, but is still recalled for managing to kick off a peace process and helping rescue Jews around the world
By Joshua Davidovich
An illustrative photo from May 2, 2018, of Dead Sea Scrolls displayed at the Shrine of the Book at the Israel Museum in Jerusalem. (Hadas Parush/Flash90)
December 1, 2018, 11:56 pm
Newly discovered caves may hold more Dead Sea Scrolls
Though no new manuscripts found so far, archaeologists are hopeful after unearthing objects at Qumran used in the storage of ancient scripts
By ToI Staff
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