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,scrolljars’,astylisticsimilaritybetweentheceramicsfromtheruinsandthose
discoveredwiththemanuscriptsinthenearbycaves,thelocationofthecaves
withthemanuscripts(4Qand7Q)atadistanceofameretensofmetresfromthe
buildings2,thelayoutofthesettlement,andtheverycontentsofthemanuscripts.
AccordingtodeVaux,Qumranwasinhabitedfromthestartof,period
Ia’byEssenes,aJewishreligiousgroupwhosememberssupposedlylivedin
isolationfollowingarulesimilartomonastic,meditatinginthenearbycaves
inwhichtheyalsoleftorhidthetextstheyhadwritten.
AmongtheadherentsoftheconceptionputforwardbydeVauxisJody
Magness:"AlloftheavailableevidencesupportsdeVaux’sinterpretationof
Qumranasasectariansettlement.Althoughtheotherinterpretationscould
accountforsomeoftheevidence”(Magness2002:15).
ThefirstsignificantreinterpretationoftheEssenegenesisofQumran
wasthepublicationbyKarlRengstorf(1960)suggestingthatthescrolls
couldcomefromthetempleinJerusalem.3Thistheorywasultimatelyelabo-
ratedbyNormanGolb(1980),whorejectedthereligiouscharacteroftheset-
tlement.Accordingtohim,QumranhadnothingtodowiththeEssene
community,butwasusedformilitarypurposes:"Ithadbeenafortressin
theIsraelitetimes,alsoduringtheperiodwhenEssenesectariansweresup-
posedtobeinhabitingit”(Golb1994:55-56).
In1994PaulineDonceel-VouteproclaimedQumrantobea,villarustica’
parexcellence.
Inthesameyear1994,JeanBaptisteHumbert4describedthesiteasaHas-
moneanvilla(cf.Humbert1994:166,169,174;2003a:432-433,2003b:421-423)
settledagain,thistimebytheEssenes,onlyafterithadbeendestroyed,
whetherduringthepacificationbyGabiniusin56,oraParthianraidin40,or
Herod’sconquestin31B.C.AccordingtoHumbert,Qumrancouldperform
thefunctionofaregionalcentreofworshipfortheentireDeadSeabasin5upto
68A.D.,withonlyashortbreakabout31B.C.(cf.Table1).Theproofofthesec-
tariancharacterofthe,newgroup’thatcametoliveinthesettlementwouldbe
thelayoutandequipmentofloci77and86(cf.Humbert2006:31-38).
InhisrecentpaperonthepresenceoftheEssenesinQumran,Humbert
states:"ThetheoryoftheEssenesettlementismorethanprobable,butinthe
absenceofdecisiveevidence,everythingweattributetotheEssenescould,
infact,beattributedtoanyJewishsect”(Humbert2006:36).
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2ManymanuscriptsdiscoveredinthevicinityofQumrancomefromkarsticcavesthat
havedevelopedwithintheShivtaformation.The,caves’situatedbelowthesiteareman-made
inoriginandwereduginconglomeratesedimentsoftheDeadSeaGroupintheslopesofthe
WadiQumranerosionaldissection.Cf.Humbert,Chambon(1994:200),Bélis(2003:409-415).
3Cf.theopinionofdeVauxconcerningthishypothesis(1973:105).
4J.-B.HumbertisdeVaux’ssuccessorresponsibleforconductingarcheologicalresearch
bytheFrenchÉcoleBibliqueetArchéologique.
5Hence,itwasnotinhabitedbyacommunitylivinginisolation.
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