On this day: The Dead Sea Scrolls
February 15 1949: Excavations begin at Qumran
By Jennifer Lipman, February 15, 2011 (The Jewish Chronicle)
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In 1949 the site was identified by European and US archeologists, and on February 15 1949 a team lead by Roland de Vaux and Gerald Lankester Harding began excavating the area. The excavations continued until 1956.