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How many original manuscripts are represented by the Dead Sea Scroll fragments?
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Dead Sea Scrolls
Chapter 49 of the Isaiah Scroll from the Dead Sea Scrolls; in the Shrine of the Book, D. Samuel and Jeane H. Gottesman Centre for Biblical Manuscripts, the Israel Museum, Jerusalem.
The approximately 15,000 fragments recovered from the caves near Qumrān represent the remains of 800 to 900 original manuscripts. While many of these documents are in poor condition or exist only as tiny, brittle pieces, they collectively provide significant insight into the history of Palestine and the development of religious traditions.12