The significance of the Dead Sea Scrolls

Summer 1948 - a Bedouin boy wanders through the mountains surrounding the Dead Sea and comes across the entrance to a cave. Inside he finds jars covered with a layer of dust - an indication of their great age. They contain ancient writings. In the following years researchers discover many more of these scrolls, known since then as the Dead Sea or Qumran Scrolls.

The scrolls take their name from the settlement of Qumran, close to where they were first discovered. The settlement was home to pious Jews who followed strict religious rules and were unwelcome in the cities. The mysterious scrolls, as is now known, were penned by more than 500 authors. They are the only documents discovered so far that date back to Christ and, for the first time, provide information about the birth of Christianity. The scrolls have survived for thousands of years, thanks to the reverence in which knowledge and religion have been held in Jewish tradition. It's possible that they were written, packed into clay jars and hidden for posterity. Whatever the reason, they remain a significant legacy for future generations.