In the 1940s and 1950s, the Dead Sea Scrolls were found in caves by the Dead Sea, where there is evidence of abandonment in 70 CE. A nearby ancient Jewish fort, Khirbat Qumran, was also destroyed after a seige, probably during the rebellion of 66-70 CE.
The Dead Sea Scrolls consist of many complete and partial Jewish documents from the period up to 70 CE. Some of the 'scrolls' are mere scraps, in some cases with just a few words.
The Scrolls contain both sacred and secular writings, mainly in Hebrew and Aramaic, with a small number of Greek scrolls. They include some of the earliest known versions of some books of the Hebrew Bible, allowing scholars to compare the Septuagint (early Greek translation) and the later Masoretic texts.
Some of the secular texts refer to a "Teacher of Righteousness", who seems to have been a religious rebel of the second century BCE.