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E. They brought with them whatever valuable possessions they could carry along, including copies of their sacred literature. ). These rebels were active in the wilderness region and left behind them important documents in the high and virtually inaccessible caves along the Wadi Murabba‘at several miles south of Qumran. The caves at Murabba‘at preserve the remains of numerous biblical manuscripts. Also included in the finds were the priceless remains of administrative letters, personally signed by Shimeon Bar Kokhba, the leader of the Second Revolt.

The excavation by de Vaux led to the conclusion that there was a vital relationship between Qumran and the Scrolls. There were numerous reasons for this conclusion, each of which has served to build a cumulative case that favors a strong relationship between the site, the caves, and the Scrolls. First of all, de Vaux was able to identify at Qumran remains of the same kind of pottery that had been found in the caves. Not unlike a forensic detective using DNA evidence to connect the suspect with the crime scene, de Vaux had used pottery fragments to link Qumran with the caves and their precious contents.

This correspondence remains relatively strong, even if one prefers Magness’s late date for the occupation of the site. Fifth, an inscribed potsherd, or ostracon, found at Qumran’s eastern wall in 1996 may even link Qumran with the Rule of the Community from Cave 1. According to the reconstruction of Frank M. 13–24). If their reconstruction is correct, then this ostracon would link the site Qumran with the scrolls of Cave 1, the cylindrical pottery in which they were stored, and the same religious community whose ideology is preserved in the Rule.