A Lead Coffin from the Roman Period at Ḥorbat Ohad, Kibbutz Bet Guvrin (with a contribution by Natalya Katsnelson) (Hebrew, pp. 11*–18*; English summary, p. 136)

Authors

Daniel Varga, Israel Antiquities Authority
Rina Talgam

Abstract

In a tomb hewn into soft limestone (qirton) at Ḥorbat Ohad, a lead coffin and its lid were uncovered. Within the coffin were the bones of a female, aged 17–20 years and an intact candlestick-type glass bottle. The coffin is decorated with mythological scenes—a winged Eros hunting a lion, and drunken Heracles holding a drinking vessel while riding a carriage driven by two centaurs—as well as geometric and floral motifs. Similar lead coffins are frequently found along the Israeli and Phoenician coast, and are known also from inland sites. The decorative motifs on the coffin, as well as the glass bottle, point to a date in the third century CE.

Keywords

burial, funerary goods, pagan, mythology, art, cult, anthropology

Recommended Citation

Varga, Daniel and Talgam, Rina (2013) "A Lead Coffin from the Roman Period at Ḥorbat Ohad, Kibbutz Bet Guvrin (with a contribution by Natalya Katsnelson) (Hebrew, pp. 11*–18*; English summary, p. 136)," 'Atiqot: Vol. 73, Article 6.
DOI: https://doi.org/10.70967/2948-040X.1605
Available at: https://publications.iaa.org.il/atiqot/vol73/iss1/6