Ancient Jerusalem's Funerary Customs and Tombs: Part One

Rahmani, Leïla

doi:10.2307/3209608

Cited by 5 publications

(1 citation statement)

References 2 publications

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“…After a certain period of time, after the flesh had decayed, the bones were carefully transferred from the primary to the secondary burial, within the same rock-cut tomb (Hachlili, 2005;Kloner and Zelinger, 2007;Kloner and Zissu, 2007;Patrich, 1994). The archaeological evidence indicates that there were two main ways of collecting bones: placing the bones loosely in a kokh, or into an ossuary (Meyers, 1971;Rahmani, 1981Rahmani, , 1982Rahmani, , 1994aRahmani, , 1994b. Ossuaries, or fragments thereof, were found in most of the caves in the Jerusalem necropolis and examined in proper archaeological excavations.…”

Section: Introductionmentioning

confidence: 99%

Lithology and the distribution of Early Roman-era tombs in Jerusalem’s necropolis

Shtober‐Zisu

Zissu

2018

Progress in Physical Geography: Earth and Environment

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During the last 150 years, various archaeological excavations and surveys revealed approximately 900 rock-cut tombs in the extensive necropolis surrounding ancient Jerusalem, dated to the late Hellenistic and Early Roman periods. The research goals are to examine the spatial distribution of these tombs in relation to the lithological units and rock hardness and to examine the diverse methods by which the ancient masons solved various lithological defects they encountered during the tomb excavation. We used field observations and Schmidt hammer tests to determine the rock hardness and the lithological properties. Our study demonstrates that the substrate played a crucial role in the establishment of the city and residents’ living conditions and that the presence or absence of caves in certain areas can be explained lithologically. Most tombs found west of the city were excavated in the Weradim Formation (13.7%); those found north of the city were mainly hewn into the well-bedded Nezer Formation (20.7%); and the tombs hewn east or south of the ancient city mainly met the soft Menuḥa Formation (56%). Excavating in the hard limestone of the Shivta Formation required high levels of effort and funding and, therefore, the number of tombs is limited (3%). In some cases, owners of estates located in soft lithologies granted burial rights to additional families, as proved by the large number of tombs and the clusters of burial systems in the Menuḥa Formation. Rock surfaces are mostly decayed by chemical dissolution, enhanced by structural fissures in the rock. Condensation corrosion and excess moisture were observed on the ceilings of some structures, along with bio-erosion. Two types of defects are common in the local rock: (a) major defects, endangering the stability of the rock-cut chamber that required complementary building with ashlar stones and (b) superficial defects that required only aesthetic solutions.

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Section: Introductionmentioning

confidence: 99%

Lithology and the distribution of Early Roman-era tombs in Jerusalem’s necropolis

Shtober‐Zisu

Zissu

2018

Progress in Physical Geography: Earth and Environment

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Burial, Jewish

Koltun-Fromm

2012

The Encyclopedia of Ancient History

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Cemeteries, Jewish

Grey

2012

The Encyclopedia of Ancient History

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As in surrounding Mediterranean cultures, burial had an important place in the life cycle of ancient Judaism. Although the Hebrew Bible does not give a systematic description of burial practices in early Israel, archaeological discoveries provide evidence for funerary customs at various levels of ancient Jewish society. The most recognizable Jewish cemeteries, however, contain the tombs of upper‐class families and indicate the degree to which foreign culture influenced this stratum of Jewish society.

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Ancient Jerusalem's Funerary Customs and Tombs: Part One

Cited by 5 publications

References 2 publications

Lithology and the distribution of Early Roman-era tombs in Jerusalem’s necropolis

Lithology and the distribution of Early Roman-era tombs in Jerusalem’s necropolis

Burial, Jewish

Cemeteries, Jewish

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