Jerusalem Libraries

• There is a theory that the scrolls are the remains of various libraries in Jerusalem, hidden in the Judaean desert when the Romans were besieging Jerusalem in 68-70 A.D. In broad terms, this evidence includes (1) the Copper Scroll found in Cave 3, which contains a list of treasures that, according to some, could only have originated in Jerusalem; (2) the great variety of conflicting ideas found among the scrolls; and (3) the fact that, apart from the Copper Scroll, they contain no original historical documents such as correspondence or contracts, but are all scribal copies of literary texts -- indicating that they are remnants of libraries and were not written at the site where they were found.