The Qumran community was destroyed by Roman forces in 68 AD, two years before the Temple fell — the Tenth Roman Legion’s campaign up the Jordan Valley swept through the Dead Sea region. The Essenes apparently buried their library (the Dead Sea Scrolls) in the caves above the settlement before the Romans arrived; those scrolls remained hidden until 1947. Some Essene fragments may have survived and merged into other movements — scholars have noted structural similarities between Essene practices (communal meals, baptism, solar calendar, celibacy options) and early Christianity, though direct influence remains debated. Their distinctive community structure, their solar calendar, and their expectation of two messiahs all disappear from history after 70 AD.