Hebrew. A ancient settlement from the Hellenistic period, located on a dry plateau about one and a half kilometer inland from the northwestern shore of the Dead Sea in the West Bank, where about 150-200 inhabitants lived. It is presumed constructed sometime during the reign of John Hyrcanus (134-104 BC) or in decades later, and was occupied for most of the years until it was destroyed by the Romans in 68 AD or shortly after. It is best known as the settlement nearest to the hiding place of the Dead Sea Scrolls in the caves of the sheer desert cliffs and beneath, in the marlstone terrace. Many scholars believe the location to have been home to the Essenes, a Jewish sect, but also other interpretations have been proposed.