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Abstract

Three caves were discovered south of the confluence of the Hinom and Kidron Valleys in Jerusalem. Two natural caves (Caves 1, 3) contained Iron Age II pottery and human bones and the third (Cave 2), a hewn burial cave, was dated to the Early Roman period. Cave 1 yielded an Iron Age pottery assemblage dating between the eighth and the beginning of the sixth centuries BCE that included tableware (bowls, jars and juglets) and cooking pots typically found in burial caves. As the cave is natural, it is possible that its contents were dumped there following the evacuation of a nearby burial cave during the Second Temple period—a practice known to have occurred in this area of Jerusalem.

Keywords

City of David, cemetery, inscription

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