The Necropolis of Bet Guvrin-Eleutheropolis 9789654062145, 9789654065740, 9654062143

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NECROPOLIS

GIDEON AVNI. UZI DAHARI AND AMOS KlONER

fAA Reports, No. 36

THE NECROPOLIS OF BET GUVRIN-ELEUTHEROPOLIS

GIDEON AVNI, UZI DAHARI AND AMOS KLONER

With contributions by Jodi Magness, Talila Michaeli and Tamar Winter

ISRAEL ANTIQUITIES AUTHORITY JERUSALEM 2008

IAAReports Publications ofthe Israel Antiquities Authority

Editor-in-Chief Judith Ben-Michael Series Editor:

Arm Roshwalb Hurowitz

Volume Editor: Lilly Gershuny Production Coordinator: Lori Lender

Front Cover: Cave 1. 1 8, western arcosolium (photographer: T. Sagiv) Back Cover: The Al)ino'am Cave, general view (photographer: G. Avni) Typesetting, Layout and Cover Design: Ann Abuhav Production: Ann Abuhav Illustrations: Natalia Zak and Tania Kornfeld Printing: Keterpress Enterprises, Jerusalem Copyright © 2008, The Israel Antiquities Authority, Jerusalem POB 586, Jerusalem, 9 1004 ISBN 978-965-406-214-5 eISBN 9789654065740 www.antiquities.org.il

CONTENTS

ABBREVIATIONS

IV

PREFACE

V

CHAPTER 1 : INTRODUCTION CHAPTER 2: THE BURIAL CAVES IN THE NECROPOLIS

5

CHAPTER 3: THE ARCHITECTURE AND TYPOLOGY

103

CHAPTER 4: THE CHRONOLOGICAL FRAMEWORK OF THE CEMETERIES

119

CHAPTER 5: THE OIL LAMPS FROM THE SOUTH CEMETERY

Jodi Magness

12 1

CHAPTER 6: THE GLASS VESSELS FROM THE SOUTH CEMETERY

Tamar Winter

179

CHAPTER 7: A PAINTED TOMB IN THE EAST CEMETERY

Tali1a Michaeli

1 87

CHAPTER 8: URBAN BURIAL IN PALESTINE IN LIGHT OF THE BET GUVRIN NECROPOLIS

201

CHAPTER 9: EPILOGUE: JEWS, PAGANS AND CHRISTIANS IN BET GUVRIN

2 17

REFERENCES

2 19

APPENDIX 1 : LIST OF TOMBS AND BURIAL CAVES

229

IV

ABBREVIATIONS

AASOR

Annual of the American School of Oriental Research

AJA

American Journal ofArchaeology

ADAJ

Annual of the Department ofAntiquities ofJordan

AJ

The Archaeological Journal

'A tiqot (ESJ

English Series

'A tiqot (HSJ

Hebrew Series

BA

Biblical Archaeologist

BAlAS

Bulletin ofthe Anglo-Israel Archaeological Society

BAR

Biblical Archaeology Review

BAR Int. S.

British Archaeological Reports International Series

BASOR

Bulletin ofthe American School of Oriental Research

BIES

Bulletin ofthe Israel Exploration Society

BMB

Bulletin du Musee de Beyrouth

CAJ

Cambridge Archaeological Journal

ESI

Excavations and Surveys in Israel

HA

Hadashot Arkheologiyot (Archaeological News; Hebrew)

HA-ESI

Hadashot Arkheologiyot-Excavations and Surveys in Israel

IAA Reports

Israel Antiquities Authority Reports

IEJ

Israel Exploration Journal

JQR

Jewish Quarterly Review

JPOS

Journal of the Palestine Oriental Society

JRA

Journal ofRoman Archaeology

LA

Liber Annuus

NEAEHL

E. Stern and A. Lewinson-Gilboa eds. New Encyclopedia ofArchaeological Excavations in the Holy Land I-IV Jerusalem 1993

NEAEHL 5

E. Stern ed. New Encyclopedia ofArchaeological Excavations in the Holy Land (Supplementary volume). Jerusalem 2008

NEASB

Near Eastern Archaeological Society Bulletin

PEFA

Palestine Exploration Fund Annual

PEFQSt

Palestine Exploration Fund Quarterly Statement

PEQ

Palestine Exploration Quarterly

QDAP

Quarterly of the Department ofAntiquities in Palestine

RAC

Rivista di Archeologia Cristiana

RB

Revue Biblique

VC

Vetera Christianorum

WA

World Archaeology

ZDPV

ZeitschriJt des Deutschen Paliistina-Vereins

ZPE

Zeitschrijifur Papyrologie und Epigraphik

v

PREFACE

During surveillance of illegal digging in March 1985, inspectors of the Israel Department of Antiquities (currently the Israel Antiqinties Authority) came across burial caves to the south of the Bet Guvrin ruins. One of the surface openings led to a subterranean chamber with vaults and he\Vll graves. Fragments of a stone lintel with a seven-branched menorah (candelabrum) in the middle of a Greek inscription were discerned on the chamber's floor. It was this chance discovery that prompted the systematic research of the Bet Guvrin necropolis. Preliminary surveys in the East and Northeast Cemeteries were conducted by Amos Kloner in the 1 970s and the 1980s. The extensive survey and excavations in the South Cemetery were undertaken in 1985 and 1986 on behalf of the then Department of Antiquities (Permit No. A-14l5, granted to A. Kloner, U. Dahari and G. Avni). This research was followed by intermittent surveys between 1987 and 1989 of the city's East, North, Northeast and West Cemeteries, conducted by Gideon Avni, assisted by Boaz Zissu. Participating in the excavations and surveys over the years were ' Asa' el Lavi, Zion Levi, Moshe Katz and Tibor Frank. GiOIa Solar surveyed several caves in the East Cemetery. Uzi Dahari and Gideon Avni prepared the plans of the burial caves. It should be said in this

context that not all plans have a scale, due to enOlTIlOUS difficulties encountered in the field. Tali Krinkin­ Fabian and Ronald Greenberg drafted the plans and Mordi Farqash prepared isometric views of Caves 1.28 and 1.67. Natalia Zak and Tania Kornfeld prepared the plans for this publication. Photographs were taken by Gideon Avni, Tsila Sagiv and ClaraAmit. Tali Krinkin­ Fabian drew the lamps and arranged the plates. Karl Ebert translated the first manuscript from Hebrew to English. (For preliminary results of the surveys and excavations, see Dahari, Avni and Kloner 1988; Kloner 1 9930, Magness and Avni 1998.) Parts of this monograph are based on the Ph.D dissertation of G. Avni (1 997), submitted to the Hebrew University in Jerusalem, under the supervision of Prof. Y Tsafrir. Later stages of the research and writing were conducted by G. Avni at the Classics Department ofthe University of Cincinnati, with the support of the Tytus Fellowship Program for Visiting Scholars. Ze' ev Weiss contributed valuable remarks to an earlier version of this manuscript. Thanks are due to Lilly Gershuny, for her untiring efforts to ameliorate the manuscript, to Arm Abuhav, for her skillful work in the graphic design and layout of this book, and to Ann Roshwalb Hurowitz, for bringing this volume to a successful close.

CHAPTER 1

INTRODUCTION

HISTORY OF RESEARCH

The current fieldwork greatly benefited from earlier slndies from the beginning of the twentieth centnry. Bet Guvrin, mentioned by Josephus (Jewish War N:447) as a Jewish village in the heart of Idumea, was transfOlmed into the main Roman polis of Eleutheropolis by the emperor Septimus Severus at the beginning ofthe third centnry CE. The city became one of the main administrative centers of Palestina Prima during the Late Roman and Byzantine periods (Tsafrir, Di Segni and Green 1994:16-17, 1 1 8).1 The central position of Bet Guvrin during these times is evidenced in a number of sources (Urman 1988: 1 56-158). It is depicted on the Madaba Map, showing several public buildings and at least two churches within the city precincts (Avi-Yonah 1 954; Kloner 1998). It is also referred to in the administrative lists of the Byzantine empire (Gelzer 1 890:52; Burckhardt 1 903:42). Archaeological research on the ancient city was limited. The village of Beit Jibrin was built over the ancient ruins, preventing large-scale excavations. Only scant probes and occasional finds took place within the urban area of Eleutheropolis. The first significant archaeological project in the area of Bet Guvrin was conducted during the summer of 1900. A series of excavations was undertaken by P.J. Bliss and R.A.S. Macalister on the mounds of the Judean Shephelah, including the upper strata of Tel Maresha. The underground artificial caves around the site were surveyed and mapped, and a number of caves, adjacent to Bet Guvrin, were investigated (Bliss and Macalister 1902:58-6 1 ; Kloner 2003a:9-12). L.H. Vincent and P.M. Abel conducted small-scale excavations in the 1 920s in the eastern part of Beit Jibrin, revealing the remains of a large villa with decorated mosaic floors (Vincent 1 922; Abel 1 924). In 1941, D.C. Bararnki excavated the remains of a Byzantine monastery west of Beit Jibrin, in the location of modem Kibbutz Bet Guvrin (Bararnki 1 972).

During the 1 990s, A. Kloner carried out large-scale excavations in the northern part of Eleutheropolis, exposing the amphitheater and additional structures (Kloner 1 993a, 2008; Kloner and Hiibsch 1996; Kloner and Assaf 1998; Kloner and Cohen 1998; Kloner and Garnil 1998). The roads and aqueducts leading to Bet Guvrin were also explored in recent years (Roll and Dagan 1982; Roll 1983; Amit 2002; Sagiv and Zissu 2002). Several occasional fmds from Bet Gm''fin point to the prosperity of the city during the Late Roman and Byzantine periods. In 1 874, Clermont-Ganneau found a capital decorated with a seven-branched menorah in the village of Beit Jibrin. He suggested it belonged to an ancient synagogue (Clermont-Ganneau 1896:442). In 1925, E.L. Sukenik noted a Hebrew inscription, incorporated in one of the village's dwellings, which mentioned a donor's contribution ofa column, probably to a synagogue (Sukenik 1 930). Another occasional find was a stone lintel with a large Greek inscription that mentioned the existence of an inn in the northwestern part of Bet Guvrin (Dagan, Fischer and Tsafrir 1985). The cemeteries of Bet Guvrin were known only by sporadic and odd finds. During a survey around Maresha in 1 900, R.A.S. Macalister noted four main clusters of graves around the ancient city of Bet Guvrin-Eleutheropolis. Two were to the north and east of the village of Beit Jibrin and the other two, to its south (Bliss and Macalister 1902:58-60, 1 99-203; Avi-Yonah 1 967). Macalister observed the signs of cutting in bedrock and discovered several cave openings, most of them looted by tomb robbers. On the basis of Macalister's brief report and geographical description, it appears that he referred to burial caves in the North, Northeast and South Cemeteries ofBet Guvrin (discussed below). He also conducted limited excavations in several caves of the South Cemetery (Bliss and Macalister 1902:58; henceforth, Caves 1.75-1.86). Two additional caves were documented by W.J. Moulton in the South Cemetery (Moulton 1923;

2

GIDEON AVNI, UZI DAHARI AND AMOS KLONER

henceforth, Caves 1.87, 1.88). Several caves of Hellenistic origin in Tel Maresha's Northern Cemetery, revealing evidence of secondary usage in the first to third centnries CE, were surveyed by E.D. Oren in the 1 960s (Oren and Rappaport 1984; henceforth Caves 1.89-1.92). A. Kloner recorded several caves in the East and North Cemeteries of Bet Guvrin (Kloner 1983; 1 993a; henceforth, Caves 11.9-II.l7, 11.38-11.42). Itwas the comprehensive field survey ofBet Guvrin's necropolis that allowed an orderly study of the tombs, their types, characteristics and spatial distribution. This survey was the first attempt to embrace all the cemeteries and to document as large a number as possible of burial caves. Illegal diggings in dozens of caves led to the exposure of their openings, which facilitated the entry into the subterranean chambers and their recording, thus gaining substantial infOlmation concerning the architecture of the caves. However, the massive looting of the burial caves in modern times precluded a proper archaeological and anthropological study of burial practices. Accordingly, the data on the physical characteristics of the deceased, such as morphology, age, gender and indications of disease, are extremely limited.

THE GEOLOGICAL SETTING AND THE INSTALLATION OF CAVES

The Judean Shephelahis mainly composed of Senonian, Paleocene, and Eocene limestone and chalk layers. The Middle Eocene chalk of the Zor'a Formation (Maresha detail) is dominant in the area of Bet Guvrin. It is a soft and homogeneous limestone that tends to be covered with a harder limestone crust-nari, which is heterogeneous in texture, split and fractured, with a tendency to collapse whenever it does not rest directly upon a chalk substructure. The thickness of the Maresha detail varies between 30 and 100 m and the nari crust is c. 1 .5-3.0 m thick (Buchbinder 1968; Hirsch 1983). The burial caves of Bet Guvrin, as well as other subterranean cavities in the region, were he\Vll into the soft limestone fOlmations after cutting through the nari crust (Kloner and Tepper 1987:23-29; Kloner 2003a:2-5). The caves were hewn to a suitable depth, which insured that the roof remained within the chalk horizon and did not penetrate into the less stable and cleft nari. Generally, the installation of the caves was not beset by technical problems, such as the roof's strength,

due to the relatively small area of the cavity (a typical burial chamber did not exceed 3 x 3 m). In caves where larger spaces were quarried, the masons solved the problem by leaving pillars to bolster the chalk roof or by modeling the roof as an arch. Sometimes the workmen exploited natural horizontal fissures in the soft chalk fOlmations as guidelines for the floors or roofs of the caves. Leveling the he\Vll space according to fissure lines simplified their task. The first stage in the hewing of a cave was the installation of a square or rectangular opening in the upper nari crust. A vertical shaft or a stepped entryway extended from this opening, through the hard crust into the chalk below. The depth of the shaft depended on the thickness of the nari, usually ranging between 2 and 4 m. The shaft or entryway continued into the chalk layers, down to a depth that ensured the complete cave would be within the soft chalk and would leave adequate space between the roof of the cave and the seam of the chalk with the nari. Once the desired depth had been reached, the chalk was extracted and the burial chamber was modeled, followed by the installment of the actual burial places, i.e., shelves, troughs and loculi. The tools used for the quarrying were apparently adzes and small picks. The debris was removed through the opening in the nari that led to the surface. Most caves evinced hewing marks on the walls, which were 2-3 cm wide-the breadth of the actual implement. Walls finished with broader adzes, whose imprints were 6-8 cm wide, were found in some of the caves. Sometimes, the tool impressions on the walls indicated the direction taken by the masons to open the spaces and passages. In some caves the walls were planed do\Vll smoothly, and in others, they were wholly or partially plastered. Several of the burial areas were crowded, especially in the South Cemetery. Caves were very close together, producing a network ofadjoining subterraneanhollows. At times, the workmen utilized every possible strip of stone, leaving very thin walls (5-10 cm wide) between the caves (e.g., Caves I.l5-1.27; see Plan 2.13). The quality of carving attests to considerable skill and a high degree of expertise, although experiments on soft limestone bedrock have shown that several unskilled workmen can hew a sufficiently large cavity rather quickly. The masons were nonetheless experts in their work and knew how to avoid damaging the adjacent

CHAPTER 1 : INTRODUCTION

cavity. Today, these caves are connected by breaches in the walls caused by tomb looters. The combination of nari and chalk strata facilitated the hewing of large and relatively stable cavities, and the ease whereby the soft chalk was carved rendered the Judean Shephelah an area extremely rich in artificial hollows. In addition to the bell-shaped caves that served as quarries for the lime industry, mainly during the Early Islamic period (Ben-Arieh 1959-1960:1 80193; Kloner 1 993a:200-20l , 2003a:4), hundreds of cisterns, oil presses, columbaria, hiding complexes and burial caves were he\Vll (Bliss and Macalister 1 902:204-213; Kloner and Hess 1985; Kloner and Tepper 1987; Kloner 2003a:45-49, 53-72). Elsewhere in Palestine, rock-he\Vll cavities were the most common type of tomb installed, wherever geological conditions were suitable. The quarrying technique was the same, as were the tools employed to rough-hew the desired hollow, which was usually a single burial chamber with arcosolia. \¥here soft, dense chalk was common, as in the Judean Shephelah and the western Lower Galilee, large and composite caves were quarried, as at the large necropolis of Bet She'arim (Mazar 1973; Avigad 1 976) and in the subterranean complexes around Tel Maresha (Bliss and Macalister 1 902:203-214; Kloner 2003a).

FIELDWORK METHODOLOGY

The initial field survey of the Bet Guvrin necropolis involved a detailed foot 'combing' ofthe surface, within a radius of two to three kilometers around the site. The mapping of cave openings, visible on surface, enabled the definition ofthe borders of the grave clusters. Each of the clusters was then subjected to further specific documentation, whereby the entrance to every cave, as well as every cutting in bedrock whose shape implied accessibility to a subterranean burial complex, was noted. Textual description and photography were used in recording the underground cavities. Plans and sections of the caves (at a scale of 1 :50) and drawings of the architectural features carved into the walls were prepared. A thorough collection of artifacts, which consisted mainly of oil-lamp fragments and broken glass vessels, was conducted in each cave. Mapping the burial clusters revealed the dense installment ofthe burial caves in clearly defined fields, apparently without planning the tracts in advance. Neither caves nor graves were observed in the areas

3

between the clusters. On the basis ofthis data, five main burial grounds around Bet Guvrin could be designated as separate cemeteries (see Fig. 2.1). In total, 214 graves and caves were recorded, of which 191 were typologically classified. Each cemetery comprised different types of tombs, which allowed a comparison between the cemeteries. The different burial types and their distribution in the cemeteries may thus reflect the socioeconomic and ethno-religious standing of Bet Guvrin's population. The survey and excavations in several large and exceptional burial caves in the South Cemetery, which contained 92 burial caves, showed that this cemetery was the wealthiest in the variety of tomb types and in the finds. The East Cemetery consisted of 42 caves; the Northeast, 26 caves and 37 cist graves; the Nortli, 7 caves; and the West, 4 caves. Extensive architectural data on the caves gathered during the field survey enabled their typological division into several classes and provided an insight into the burial customs of Bet Guvrin's inhabitants during the Late Roman and Byzantine periods. The main problem affecting the analysis of the finds was the definition of the chronological span of each cave. The prolonged use of the caves, which lasted over 500 years, from the third to the eighth centuries CE, together with modem-era disturbances, precluded a precise evaluation of the internal stratigraphy and phases of use in each cave. The extreme density in the central areas of the cemeteries enabled, in several instances, the establishment of relative chronologies. A later-installed cave was adapted to the position of caves that already existed. Due to their exceptional proximity, the shapes of the later caves often deviated considerably from traditional patterns. The spaces were distorted, so as not to penetrate into adjacent caves of earlier date. The study of the caves at Bet Guvrin affords addi­ tional means of understanding several aspects of the city and its populace. The comprehensive examination of the cemeteries provided a better definition of the actual urban area and its relationship to the necropolis. In addition, the mortuary typology could be used to determine the character ofthe city's population. On the basis of the differences in the architecture of the caves, it was possible to ascertain the size of each family unit, its social and economic status and sometimes, even its ethnic and religious affiliation, as expressed in some caves that yielded typical Christian symbols,

4

GIDEON AVNI, UZI DAHARI AND AMOS KLONER

and others, which displayed symbols from the world of Jewish art. The Judeo-Christian amalgam of the burial

sites, extensively discussed below, reveals Bet Guvrin as a mixed-populace city.

NOTE 1 The history ofBet Guvrin Eleutheropolis in the Late Roman, Byzantine and Early Islamic periods has yet to be studied comprehensively. The topic is considered in a nmnber of

preliminary studies, e.g., Beyer 193 1 ; Bagatti 1972; Urman 1988; Kloner 1 994.

CHAPTER 2

THE BURIAL CAVES IN THE NECROPOLIS

The systematic archaeological field survey of the necropolis in Bet Guvrinrecorded 214 graves and burial caves, 191 of which were typologically classified. This figure should be supplemented by the burial caves discovered since the end of the nineteenth century CE by Bliss and Macalister (1902:9-10, 58-60), Moulton (1 923), Baramki (1 972), Oren (Oren and Rappaport 1 984) and Kloner (1983).

The detailed mapping of burial-cave locations revealed five distinctive clusters of tombs, defined as cemeteries (1-V), which surrounded the city and faced the urban area. The distance separating the cemeteries from the urban limits ranged between 50 and 1200 m (Fig. 2.1). The cemeteries were situated on the slopes of the hills, in areas of exposed bedrock that facilitated the installation of burial caves in the soft limestone.

Fig. 2.1. Location map ofcemeteries.

GIDEON AVNI, UZI DAHARI AND AMOS KLONER

6

The tombs in the Outer Burial Ring (Cern etery VI) were distant from the main clusters and quite far from the urban area. It is uncertain whether they should be assigned to the urban necropolis; they may have belonged to the villages and farms in the hinterland of Bet Guvrin. Every grave, cave, or burial structure received a separate number in the course of the field survey. This label is composed of a Roman numeral, marking the specific cemetery, and an Arabic numeral, indicating its location within the cemetery. This designation, which enables a clear and handy reference to a specific site within the text, is followed by the survey number for each site, in parentheses. Caves of various types formed the overwhelining majority in the necropolis and only 39 cist graves were recorded, 37 of which were grouped together in the Northeast Cemetery (III). The description of the tombs paid special attention to architectural features, such as the shape of the grave or the burial chamber and decorative elements, as well as the organization of the graves within the burial complex. The tombs were typologically classified into eight different groups (see below, Chapter 3). The dating, whenever possible, was based on artifacts recovered from the tombs. However, when ceramic or other diagnostic finds were not available, dating depended solely on architecture. THE SOUTH CEMETERY

(I)

The cemetery lies along the eastern slopes of a moderate spur, some 300 rn south of Bet Guvrin's southern limits and separated from it by a tributary of Nai.lal Guvrin (map ref NIG 191 30/61210; OIG 1 4 1 3011 1 2 1 0; see Fig. 2.1). The cluster oftombs occupies an area ofc. 200 x 400 m to the north of a large quarry (the Al)ino'am Cave), which is dated to the Early Islamic period. The quarry postdates the use of the cemetery and cut through several of its burial caves (Fig. 2.2). The spatial distribution of the caves in the cemetery is not unifonTI. A large cluster, including some of Bet

Guvrin's composite and wealthy caves, lies in the upper part of the slope, whereas less crowded clusters are in the middle and lower sections of the slope. Abutting the South Cemetery on the southwest is Tel Maresha's Northern Cemetery, where a number of tombs dating to the Hellenistic period have been studied; some attest to secondary use in the first to third centuries CE (Oren and Rappaport 1984; Caves 1.89-1.92). The South Cemetery encompasses caves discovered in the course of four expeditions to the site (plan 2.1): 1. Caves 1.1-1.74. The field survey; Caves 1 . 1 2, 1. 1 8, 1.33, 1.52, 1.69 and 1.70 were excavated. 2. Caves 1.75-1.86. Surveyed and cleared by RAS. Macalister in 1 900, within the excavation framework of Tel Maresha (Bliss and Macalister 1902:9-10, 5860). 3. Caves 1. 87-1.88. Excavated by Moulton in 1 9 1 3 (Moulton 1 923). 4. Caves 1.89-1.92. Surveyed and excavatedby Oren in 1 962, as part of his research at Tel Maresha's Northern Cemetery (Oren and Rappaport 1 984). All the excavated caves suffered massive disturbances in modem times. A clear stratigraphic sequence of the accumulation in these caves could not be obtained and the finds had to be considered as a single assemblage, reflecting the chronological development throughout each cave's period of use (see Chapters 5 and 6). Cave I.l (No. 139997) This cave comprised a single room (2.0 x 2.0 m, height l AO m) in whose walls were three arcosoiia, each containing one trough (Type 4.1). The walls were extremely worn and appear to have been damaged in ancient times by the adjacent quarry (the Al)ino'am Cave). Cave 1.2 (No. 130012) The only remnant of this cave is its rectangular vestibule (0.5 x 2.0 m), which led to a narrow passage that opened into three rooms, blocked by alluvium and partially destroyed by the quarry.

CHAPTER 2: THE BURIAL CAVES IN THE NECROPOLIS

o 1.61

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Fig. 2.2. South Cemetery, location map ofcave openings.

7

GIDEON AVNI, UZI DAHARI AND AMOS KLONER

8

1.38 ��

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; 1.48 ~ 0

10 1m

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P/cm 2.l. South Cemetery, distribution a/burial caves: (a) southern area.

1.49

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,

CHAPTER 2: THE BURIAL CAVES IN THE NECROPOLIS

Plan 2.1 (cont.). South Cemetery, distribution a/burial caves: (b) northwestern area.

9

GIDEON AVNI, UZI DAHARI AND AMOS KLONER

10

I I I I

\ I \

�

292..50

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,-_ .......

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24

GIDEON AVNI, UZI DAHARI AND AMOS KLONER

Fig. 2.26. Caw I J6, northern wall and broach to Cem III

Cave 1.17 (No. 11304512; Plan 2.17) This small cave, squeezed between Caves I16, US, and 124, was prooably hewn lat8' than the cthers. It comprised a single burial chamber (1 6 x 2.0 m) in whose floocwere two lrcughs, separated by a otme ohelf (Subtype 3 2) The rims of the troughs WiSe indented fcnectangular sealing stones. Two loculi (0 6 x 1.9 m) i wISe mtalled in the northern wall of the burial chamber, and ancther in the wdEm wall. Troughs (depth 0.6-0.8 m) set in the flOC(' of all loculi wISe sealed with rectangular stone slabs (Type 8.2) Two narrow ±eps descended from the cave's entrance in the ea±Em wall to the shelf between the two trcughs in the floor This entrance prOO ably led to the vestibule, ohared with Caves 1.24 and 1.25 to the east

Cave US (No 113045/3; the Cave ofColumns; Plan 2 18) This remarllrn wall

Fig 2.55 CCMl 128, oquar. pillar in wuthem wall.

Fig 2.54 Cav. 1 28, wuthe",tem arco,oiium in ,outn.rn wall

CHAPTER 2 THE BURIAL CAVES IN THE NECROPOLIS

41

This sedim had been damaged by the large quarry (the Al)ino'am Cave) Extensive evidence of secmdary use as a dwelling cave in latC1" periods, including mainly traces of soct m the walls and altC1"ations to the arcosoha, which ddroyed the lrcughs, was visible in the burial hall

Ji)g 2.56. CCMl128, cio",-up o/small ropo;itory trough

ewe 1.29 (No 09504211) This cave comprised a large burial hall (c. 1 2 x 12 m) in whose walls was a mrrnbC1" of gable-roofed arcosoha (Type 7) Each ofthe arcosolia contained three lrcughs set along its walls (Fig. 2 57) A breach in the hall·s scuthem section. through which a considerable quantity of alluvium had penetrated. led to Cave 130 (Fig. 2.58)

Ji)g 2.58. CCMl129, b",ach to CCMl130

Fig 2.57. Caw 129, arcowlia in ",ostom ",all

42

GIDEON AVNI, UZI DAHARI AND AMOS KLONER

Cave 1.30 (No. 091046/2; Plan 2.29) This cave comprised two large burial halls, in whose walls were arcosolia that contained troughs (Type 7). The rectangular eastern hall (6.2 x 7.5 m, height c. 3.0 m) had two hewn roof-supporting pillars in the center (Fig. 2.59). The entrance (width 1 . 5 m), in its eastern wall, was completely blocked with alluvium. Eight arcosolia were cut in the hall's walls, each containing a single trough. These troughs were unusually large (0.6-0.8 x c. 2.0-2.2 m) and above three of them, in the arcosolium's rear wall, were smaller troughs that served as bone repositories (Fig. 2.60). A breach in one of these troughs led to Cave 1.29. The second burial hall was entered through a wide and high doorway (2.0 x 2.0 m; Fig. 2.61 ). This square hall (4.5 x 4.2 m, height 2.5 m) had five gable-shaped arcosolia in its walls, each containing a single trough. Above two of the troughs were smaller troughs (0.6 x 1.0 m; 0.4 x U m), perhaps bone repositories (Fig. 2.62) .

" I 1_ _ _ ""

Plan 2.29. Cave 1.30, plcm. ....

Fig. 2.59. Cave 1.30, general view to northeast.

CHAPTER 2 THE BURIAL CAVES IN THE NECROPOLIS

Flg 2.60. Caw 130, ",o,torn com,," ojJir;t hal!

Flg. 2. 61. Caw 130, arcixld ontra""o into ,ocond hal!, iooidngnorth",o,t.

Flg 2. 62. CCMl l30, gablo-,hapodarcowlium "'ith a miniaruro trough

43

44

GIDEON AVNT, UZT DAHART AND AMOS KLONER

I

2 o ___�====JI III

Plan 2. 30. Complex 1. 31-1. 34, general plan.

Complex 1. 31-1. 34 (No. 092052; Plan 2.3 0) Four adjoining caves were connected by breaches, made by looters. Excavations were conducted in Cave 1 . 3 3 (the Cave of the Inscription). Cave I. 31 (No. 0920521 1 ; Plan 2.3 1) This cave comprised a single chamber (2.2 x 2.2 m; height c. l . 8 m) in whose walls were three arcosolia ( 1 .6 x 2.0-2.2 m), each containing two troughs separated by a rock shelf (Subtype 4.2. 1 ). Some of the troughs that contained bones were sealed with rectangular slabs (Fig. 2.63). A lintel of hard limestone (0.5 x 1.1 m) was found in the center ofthe room. It probably belonged to the collapsed entrance (width 0.45 m; Fig 2.64) of the Plan 2. 31. Cave 1. 31, plan. �

\ �b.

2 ___�=====JI m

CHAPTER 2 THE BURIAL CAVES IN THE NECROPOLIS

Flg. 2. 63. CCMl l3J, oorthw.,t.m arc050iiwm andpa55agX!r ojchamwr

FIg. 2.88. Caw 165, two ,rna!! trough' aiongnorth",.,torn wall

In sum, the southeao1em section of this cave exhibited 14 trcughs, which occupied the entire flOC(' area and created a rectangular space (20 x 7.2 m) The cave's entrance (width 1.2m) faced thencrlheao1 It was flanked m eithC1' side by rectangular cubicles (03 x 0 5--D. 6 m) Two omall tHughs (03 x 0 5 m; Fig 2. SS) WiSe cut in the chambC1" s ncrlhwestem wall and next to them was a breach in the wall that led to Cave 1.66, which was prooably hewn earlier Cave 1.66 (No. 89913611; Plan 2.56) This large cave ccmprised a central hall (65 x 7.5 m, height 2.5-3.0 m), ourrcunded by wide alf:osoia i with

trcughs (rype7) Threearcccoli::l (2 0-25 x 3.0-3.5 m), each cmtaining fcurlrcughs, wISe in the hall's wdem side; two lined the latfSal sides and two, the rear Two relatively small troughs (0 5 x 1. 0-1.3 m) were added ata higher level to the southErn side ofthe scuthwdErn arcosohwn An opening (width 0.5 m) in the hall's ncrlhwdErn ccmC1' led to a small chambC1' (1 7 x 2.1 m) in whose flOC(' were two troughs. Eao1 of this roan was ancther narrow arcosolium with a single trcugh (Fig. 2 89) Two large arcosoha WC1'e in the hall's southErn wall. The weo1Ern me (34 x 4.5 m) contained seven trcughs. Originally, it was probably a regular-shaped

CHAPTER 2 THE BURIAL CAVES IN THE NECROPOLIS

65

Plan 2.56. Cave, J 66, 167, plan arcosoiium with three trcughs along its walls, to which fcurmoce troughs wrse added in the ccurse of its long prsiod of use. The eaotEru arcosohwn cmtained S�En trcughs three lined its walls, ancther was in its CEntrs, and three, which were ohatrs than average (length 1.0-13 m), occupied narrow highrs-l�el arcosoha in the walls. Two furthrs trcughs in the hall's flOC(' were set in front of this an:;osohwn

A single arcosohum in the hall's eastern wall contained three troughs along its sides. A furthrs, short trcugh occupied a secmdary arcosohum in its scuthem side. At the bcUcm of the rear wall in this arcosciiwn was a breach, to Cave 1 67 A hewn arch-supporting pirs in the middle of this hall had ancther arcosciiwn to its weot that contained a single trcugh

GIDEON AVNI, UZI DAHARI AND AMOS KLONER

Flg 2.89. cave! 66, arco,oiium m>d burial trough in northern wall

A lmg, narrow vdibule (10 x 3.5 m), oriEnted north-scuth, whose southern aperture was 0.7 m wide, accessed the hall. An additimal Entrance to the hall was located in the vestibule's wdern side, cpposite the entrance to Cave 1.67, which was m the vestibule's eaotern wall. The relatimohip betWOOl Caves 166 and 1.67, to its eaot, indicates that Cave 1.66 pootdated Cave1.67 Cave 1.67 (No. 899136/2; Plan 2.56) This cave comprised a square hall (7 2 x 7.5 m, height c. 2.5 m; Type 7) whose ceiling was suppcrled by fcur hewn arched piers. Stylized pilaot