Alexandria and Qumran: Back to the Beginning

Kenneth Silver

• Publisher: Archaeopress Archaeology
• Year: 2017
• ISBN:
  9781784917296
• Topic: Social Sciences
• Subtopic: Archaeology
• Index: Social Sciences

This year, 2017, marks 70 years since the discovery of the famous Dead Sea Scrolls at Khirbet Qumran by the Dead Sea in 1947. The Dead Sea Scrolls are one of the most well-known archaeological discoveries of the 20th century. This book addresses the proto-history and the roots of the Qumran community and of the Dead Sea Scrolls in the light of contemporary scholarship in Alexandria, Egypt. Alexandria, as the centre for Hellenistic Jews and the location of the Library of Alexandria, forms a key to understanding the theme of the book. The relationship of this context to the thoughts of the Essenes, the Jewish philosopher Philo of Alexandria, the Jewish Therapeutae of Egypt living in the neighbourhood of Alexandria and the Pythagoreans are especially studied in this work. Historical sources (both Jewish and Classical authors) and archaeological evidence are taken into account in the wider Graeco-Roman context. The connection between the Jewish Therapeutae in the Lake Mareotis region and the Palestinian Essenes is explained by the 'Jewish Pythagoras' based on the idea that the movements share the same philosophical tradition based on Judaism and Pythagoreanism. The prototypes of the Dead Sea Scrolls are explained in their Egyptian context, in association with the Library of Alexandria, the Egyptian temple manuals, and the formation of libraries in the Hellenistic period including that of Qumran.

Table of contents

• Cover
• Copyright Information
• Dedication and Inscription
• Contents
• List of Figures
• Acknowledgements
• Abbreviations and Periodicals
• Preface and Introduction
• I Alexandria and Jewish Philosophies
• Fig. 1 A Map of Egypt, Qumran and the region
• Fig. 1b. Map of the Mareotis area after Cosson 1935.
• Figure 2a Close-up of the Temple of Taposiris. 3 D model. Assumed view of the temple as seen from the east.
• Figure 2b The Temple of Taposiris, and the Tower. 3 D model. Assumed view as seen from the north-east.
• Figure 2c The Temple of Taposiris. 3 D model. Assumed view of the temple as seen from the west.
• Figure 2d The Map of Alexandria in the classical period and in 1798. The first layer (shown in red) is the Roman Alexandria as done by Mahmoud Pasha El-Falaki in 1866, defining the old grid system and the urban fabric of the city. It highlights also the l
• Figure 2e The Pharos. 3 D models of the lighthouse of Alexandria, and a visualization of the interior architectural structures and the section of the building. Considered later one of the ‘Seven Wonders of the World’. The Lighthouse was constructed in 28
• Figure 3a 3 D model of the Library of Celcus of Ephesus. Image © 2017 Ahmet Denker. The façade of the building. The library was constructed in the 2nd century A.D.
• Figure 3b 3 D model of the Library of Celcus of Ephesus, and a street view with poses. Image © 2017 Ahmet Denker.
• Figure 3c Virtual reconstruction of the Villa of Papyri and its famous library in Herculaneum. Image © 2015 Mantha Zarmakoupi. Modeling undertaken at the Experiental Technologies Center, University of California, Los Angeles, with the support of the Frie
• Figure 3d The Qumran caves where ancient manuscripts have been discovered
• II Pythagorean Philosophy
• Figure 4 The Tetraktys Adapted from a mathematical figure available at http://www.storyofmathematics.com/greek_pythagoras.html
• Fig. 5. The suggested grades in Pythagorean philosophy
• III Background to the Organisation of the Qumran-Essene Community
• IV Qumran and the Pythagorean Philosophy:
• The Eleven Pythagorean Tetraktys in Comparison with the DSS
• Figure 6 The four memberships grades at Qumran, according to the Qumran texts. Adapted from a mathematical figure available at http://www.storyofmathematics.com/greek_pythagoras.html
• Figure 7 4Q186, division of light and darkness as markers of the quality of a person. Adapted after F. Schmidt.
• Figure 8 Plato’s Lambda
• V Daily Life and Religion among the Qumran-Essenes
• Figure 9a The four membership grades in the Qumran-Essene community, according to the DSS
• Figure 9b The Tomb of Jason
• Plate 1a Close-up of section of the Habakkuk Commentary. The so-called Dead Sea Scrolls. Library of Congress Prints and Photographs Division Washington, D.C., USA. Reproduction Number: LC-DIG-matpc-22898. Part of G. Eric and Edith Matson Photograph Colle
• Plate 1b Close-up of section of the War of the Sons of Light against the Sons of Darkness. The so-called Dead Sea Scrolls. Lirary of Congress Prints and Photographs Division Washington, D.C., USA. Reproduction Number: LC-DIG-matpc-22899. Part of G. Eric
• VI The Qumran Sundial and Ancient Solar Thinking
• Figure 10a The Qumran sundial (Courtesy: The Israel Museum, Jerusalem)
• Figure 10c The Qumran sundial reconstruction equinox evening (Courtesy: The Israel Museum, Jerusalem)
• Figure 10d The Qumran sundial reconstruction (Unknown copyright)
• Fig. 11. The Qumran sundial and Alexandria. Courtesy: Minna Lönnqvist
• Figure 12a The Qumran Greek phi (Φ)
• Figure 12b The Qumran sundial: the ayin (ע)
• Fig. 13. The arc of the sun in the eastern horizon at Qumran in degrees. Courtesy: R. Anttila.
• Fig. 14. The azimuths of the sun at the Qumran horizon at Qumran in degrees. Source: Lönnqvist and Lönnqvist 2002.
• VII Back to the Beginning
• Figure 15b Vignette from Papyrus Salt 825 showing ‘The house of life’. Source: Gardiner 1938, in public domain.
• Figure 16a A linen textile from Qumran Cave 1 with a drawing in indigo blue Source: after Crowfoot 1955.
• Figure 16b Plan of the reconstruction of the ideal Temple of the Qumran-Essenes, according to the Temple Scroll Source: afte Yadin 1985.
• Figure 17 Central part of linen textile coloured with indigo blue from Cave 1. Courtesy: National Archaeological Museum, Amman. Photo: Kenneth Silver.
• Figure 18 The development and history of the Qumran-Essene community, adopted from a template by Mota 2013 based on Plato. Ke neth Silver
• Figure 19a The layout of Khirbet Qumran and the main architectural features. Base map by de Vaux 1973. Supplemented by the new archaeological information from research by Lönnqvist and Lönnqvist 2002 and 2006, Magen and Peleg 2006, Humbert 2003 and 2006.
• Reproduction Number: LC-DIG-matpc-22895. Part of G. Eric and Edith Matson Photograph Collection. Taken between 1947-1961.
• Figure 19b Khirbet Qumran and the main settlement, prior to the excavations and the discovery of the Dead Sea Scrolls. General view from the west. Library of Congress Prints and Photographs Division Washington, D.C., USA. Reproduction Number: LC-DIG-matp
• Figure 19c Khirbet Qumran and the main settlement. General view from the south-east. Library of Congress Prints and Photographs Division Washington, D.C., USA.
• Figure 19d Khirbet Qumran and Cave 4, the Library. Library of Congress Prints and Photographs Division Washington, D.C., USA. Reproduction Number: LC-DIG-matpc-13010. Part of G. Eric and Edith Matson Photograph Collection. Taken apparently before 1947.
• Figure 19e The Qumran scroll caves. View to the Dead Sea. Library of Congress Prints and Photographs Division Washington, D.C., USA. Reproduction Number: LC-DIG-matpc-22897. Part of G. Eric and Edith Matson Photograph Collection. Taken between 1947-1961.
• Figure 19f Cape Ras Feshkhas. Library of Congress Prints and Photographs Division Washington, D.C., USA. Reproduction Number: LC-DIG-matpc-01742. Part of G. Eric and Edith Matson Photograph Collection. Taken approximately 1900-1920.
• Figure 20A Main square building at Khirbet Qumran, restoration of spaces, Map to N. Building ca. 20° E of N, after Humbert 003, Fig. 1
• Figure 21A Main square building at Khirbet Qumran, restoration of spaces, Building to N, After Humbert 2003, Fig. 1
• Figure 21B The Strategeion or Palace of the Stratege of Dura Europos, building to N, after Leriche 1997
• Figure 22a Palace of Vergina, Macedonia, ca. 330–320 bc After Walter-Karydi 1998.
• Figure 22b Palace of Vergina Macedonia, reconstruction. After Walter-Karydi 1998.
• Figure 23 Plan of dining room, Perachora, Greece. Late classical/early Hellenistic period. After Tomlinson 1989.
• Figure 24 Olynthos, reconstruction of a house courtyard, view from the south. After: Walter-Karydi 1998.
• Figure 25 Athens, Agora, South Stoa I, banquet room. Late 5th century bc After Walter-Karydi 1998.
• Figure 26 ‘Scribal benches’ from Qumran. Courtesy: National Archaeological Museum, Amman. Photo: Kenneth Silver.
• Figure 27 Locus 77 arranged according to geometric principles of squares/cubes and triangles. Drawing: Kenneth Silver 2016
• Figure 28 The Pantheon, Rome. Photo: Kenneth Silver 2016
• Figure 29 Sacred proportions of the main building at Khirbet Qumran. Drawing after Humbert 2003
• Figure 30 Distribution of Herodian oil lamps at Qumran, according to information provided by publication of R. Donceel. Information courtesy: R. Donceel. Redrawn and digitized by Kenneth Silver. Basemap, courtesy: Lönnqvist and Lönnqvist 2002 (J.-B. Humb
• Figure 31 Distribution of Hellenistic and other oil lamps at Qumran, according to information provided by publication of R. Donceel. Information courtesy: R. Donceel. Redrawn and digitized: Kenneth Silver. Basemap, courtesy: Lönnqvist and Lönnqvist 2002
• Figure 32 The architecture and the spatial distribution of the archaeological finds at Khirbet Qumran. Supplemented by the new archaeological information from Lönnqvist and Lönnqvist 2002, 2006, and 2015, Magen and Peleg 2006, Humbert 2003 and 2006, and
• VIII Summary
• Sources and Bibliography, Glossary and Indices