How the Dead Sea Scrolls were found. The Dead Sea Scrolls — ancient Jewish manuscripts discovered between 1947 and 1956 in caves near the Dead Sea, mainly at Qumran, Israel — date from the 3rd century BC to the 1st century AD. Containing over 900 texts in Hebrew, Aramaic, and Greek, they include portions of nearly every Old Testament book (except Esther), along with apocryphal writings and community rules possibly linked to the Essenes. These scrolls offer invaluable insights into Jewish religio