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Abstract

The burial cave, hewn into the local soft chalk (qirton), comprises a central opening flanked by two carved doorposts, from which steps descend into a central, rectangular entrance passage. From the sides of the passage, three openings lead into three burial chambers (Nos. 1–3); Chambers 2 and 3 were found looted. Along the sides of Chamber 1 are hewn stone burial-benches, on which human bones and pottery vessels, characteristic of the eighth century BCE, were revealed; a headrest for the deceased was found at the end of each bench. The arrangement of the burial chambers indicates the presence of a planned and organized family burial system.

Keywords

Judean Shephelah, Judah, cemetery, burial, funerary goods, repository, anthropology, Sennacherib

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