QUMRAN SCROLLS - the scrolls (also called the Dead Sea Scrolls) which were discovered in caves near the settlement of Qumran. The settlement (located on the northwest shore of the Dead Sea) dates back to the 8th century B.C.E. but the scrolls were probably produced from the 2nd century B.C.E. to the 1st century C.E. The scrolls are useful in textual analysis because they are earlier than the Masoretic Text. A fragment or copy of every Hebrew Bible book with the exception of Esther has been discovered as well as books that were written and used by the community itself.