Il cimitero di Qumran: un tentativo di status quaestionis

This article offers a concise “status quaestionis” about the several discussions on the cemeteries of Qumran occurred over the years. after offering some data on the site of the cemeteries and on the number of the extant tombs and on the number of tombs effectively studied, the article focuses on the question of the presence (or absence) of the female skeletons. this is a crucial problem in indentifying the Qumran group and its alleged celibacy customs. the article focuses also on the intriguing question about the North-South orientation of the tombs in the cemetery that might refer to the well-known qumran polemics against the Jerusalem Temple. Such an unusual orientation might also be a further link between the Qumran group and the Karaites.