Qumran

Qumran is a name familiar to many as the place where the Dead Sea scrolls were discovered. Less familiar, perhaps, is the community that lived there, produced the scrolls and ultimately hid them in caves in clay jars before the Roman army arrived when putting down the rebellion in the late 60s to early 70s CE.
The site is dated to the late 2nd century BCE during the Maccabean period. There is debate about who the people who lived here were. Some suggests Essenes, others suggest Zadokites who were opposed to the priest kings of the Maccabees. It appears to be an all male community, many of whom were scribes, given the many scrolls found here.
The 1st picture looks from the community site up to the mountains and the caves. Visible in the center is cave 1.
The 2nd picture looks across some of the excavated ruins. Lower right is a structure that appears to be a ritual bath or cistern. Ablutions we're required multiple times each day. Obviously, water is required for drinking, cooking and ritual bathing, which can be challenging in a desert environment. The 3rd picture is a channel for distributing water through the site. The 4th picture is at the end of one of the channels at a ritual bath.
The 5th picture shows a restored whitewashed wall next to one of several kilns. It seems that they made their tableware on site, used it once and then broke it.
The last picture is where they used the *single use, disposable" tableware: the refectory or dining room with the Dead Sea in the background.Read more