Writings, Ruins, and Their Reading: The Dead Sea Discoveries as a Case Study in Theory Formation and Scientific Interpretation(*).
From: Social Research
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Date: 12/22/1998
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Author: ULLMANN-MARGALIT, EDNA
A case study in the process of theory formation and scientific interpretation in archaeology is provided by the Dead Sea scrolls. The central theory has been the Qumran-Essene hypothesis, which suggests that the scrolls were produced by a sect of Essenes centered in the nearby Qumran site. Textual interpretation of the scrolls and interpretation of material finds form a tight hermeneutic circle that has contributed to the theory's resilience. The theory has also proved to be elastic in its ...
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