Who Wrote the Dead Sea Scrolls

Qumran, an ancient village on the northwest shore of the Dead Sea, in what is now the West Bank, is famous for its caves. Most of the Dead Sea Scrolls were found around the Qumran area. Continued archaeological work at Qumran has yielded not only the Scrolls but also a history of the Jewish sect the Essene (Columbia).  The Qumran site had been populated previous to the Essene habitation, but abandoned for unknown reasons. The Essene rebuilt it around 130 B.C. It was destroyed by an earthquake in 31 B.C. and rebuilt around 4 B.C. Finally, the Romans destroyed it around 68 A.D. and used it as a military stronghold (Columbia).