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‘Atiqot 73 (2013)
ISBN 2948-040X
A Roman Tomb at ‘Ein el-Sha‘ara
(pp. 45–52)
Tal Kayesar
Keywords: burial, grave goods, anthropology
The tomb, which was crudely hewn in the hard limestone bedrock, was poorly preserved. Only part of a square central chamber and four burial troughs survived. The troughs contained the remains of over 16 adults and children. The objects recovered from the tomb comprise glass, ceramics, a three-legged basalt bowl, bone and ivory pins and needles, assorted metal items and jewelry, and various small stone finds. Such items are well-known in Roman domestic and funerary contexts in Israel and throughout the Roman world, and probably represent the personal effects of the deceased. The burial complex of ‘Ein el-Sha‘ara may have been originally constructed in the second century CE, although its main period of use was during the third and fourth centuries.