ABSTRACT
This chapter has four sections. The first depicts briefly the archaeological site of Qumran and its associated caves. The second part describes the material, languages, scribal practices, and contents of the manuscripts. In an innovative manner, most of the manuscripts are grouped in relation to what was later included in the Hebrew Bible; alongside the scriptural works themselves there are legal compositions, texts that build on prophetic traditions, and many that are developments from earlier wisdom and liturgical works. The third part is a discussion of what Philo, Josephus, and Pliny say about the Essenes. The fourth part provides a brief historical outline.
