Rather than arguing that the material has been conclusively identified as Temple incense, the authors present the available evidence and invite readers to evaluate it for themselves. According to Project Qumran, much of the original cache later disappeared, while one of its final known custodians was murdered. According to Project Qumran, he identified eight of the 11 principal ingredients listed in rabbinic sources describing the Temple incense, including myrrh, frankincense, cinnamon, saffron and costus. Researchers plan to conduct radiocarbon dating, elemental analysis, organic carbon testing and phytochemical studies before comparing the results with ancient descriptions of the Temple incense. The prevailing scholarly view associates Qumran with the Essenes, a Jewish sect generally believed to have distanced itself from Temple worship.