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Excavations Reveal Jews Used Caves for Ossuaries

August 11, 1932
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Jews living from 2,000 to 3,000 years ago, made scattered caves outside of Jerusalem their family vaults new discoveries of ancient Jewish ossuaries near the Hebrew University by Dr. Sukenik reveal.

Dr. Sukenik excavated a tomb on the western slope of Mount Scopus which contains 23 ossuaries.

The cave was closed with a stone slab, while the ossuaries were kept in inner burial shafts and in an inner cave. A number carried beautiful decorations, five of them bearing inscriptions in Hebrew characters.

A number of earthenware lamps and other utensils, found in one of the caves were identified as probably belonging to the Hasmonean period.

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