Beit She'arim necropolis
Rock-cut necropolis near ancient Beit She'arim, a UNESCO site.
The Beit She'arim necropolis, a vast complex of rock-cut tombs, lies 20 kilometers east of Haifa in the Lower Galilee, near the ancient town of Beit She'arim. Active from the first through fourth centuries CE, it saw its greatest use in the late second century, when the Sanhedrin, under Judah ha-Nasi, moved to Beit She'arim and his family was buried there. The site became a UNESCO World Heritage Site in 2015.
Carved from soft limestone, the necropolis contains over 30 burial cave systems. When archaeologists examined the catacombs in the 20th century, they found them in poor condition; nearly all the stone coffins had been broken into by grave robbers seeking treasure, likely during the 8th and 9th centuries, based on oil lamps left behind. The robbers also removed the bones. During the Mamluk period (13th–15th centuries), Catacomb no. 20, known as the "Cave of the Coffins," served as a shelter for Arab shepherds.
Claude Reignier Conder of the Palestine Exploration Fund visited in 1872 and described a cave system he called "The Cave of Hell." Inside, he found a coin of Agrippa, leading him to date the ruins to "the later Jewish times, about the Christian era." Benjamin Mazar, excavating at Sheikh Abreik, uncovered coins dating no later than the reigns of Constantine the Great and Constantius II.
Though only partly excavated, the necropolis has been compared to a book in stone. Its catacombs, mausoleums, and sarcophagi feature elaborate symbols and figures, along with many incised and painted inscriptions in Mishnaic Hebrew, Ancient Hebrew Aramaic, Palmyrene Aramaic, and Koine Greek. These record two centuries of history and culture. The artistic wealth of this, the oldest extensive Jewish cemetery in the world, is unmatched.
The town’s name, according to Moshe Sharon following Yechezkel Kutscher, was Beit She'arayim or Kfar She'arayim, meaning "House/Village of Two Gates." The ancient Yemenite Jewish pronunciation, "Bet She'arayim," is closer to the Greek rendition, "Besara." The common spelling "beit" for the Hebrew word for house is now often preferred over the older "beth."
The national park, managed by the National Parks Authority, borders Kiryat Tiv'on to the northeast and lies five kilometers west of a moshav named after the historical site in 1926, a decade before its archaeological identification. In early modern times, the site was the Arab vil
- Location
- 20 km east of Haifa, Lower Galilee
- Period of use
- 1st–4th centuries CE
- Peak period
- Late 2nd century CE
- Number of burial cave systems
- More than 30
- Number of catacombs discovered
- 21
- Number of sepulchral inscriptions
- Close to 300
- UNESCO designation
- 2015
Lore & Background
The necropolis is carved out of soft limestone and contains more than 30 burial cave systems. When 20th-century archaeologists first explored the catacombs, the tombs had already fallen into great disrepair and neglect, and the sarcophagi contained therein had almost all been broken into by grave robbers in search of treasure. This pillaging was believed to have happened in the 8th and 9th centuries based on the type of terracotta oil lamps found in situ. During the Mamluk Sultanate (13–15th centuries), the 'Cave of the Coffins' (Catacomb no. 20) served as a place of refuge for Arab shepherds.
Reader's Guide
The Beit She'arim necropolis is significant as the most ancient extensive Jewish cemetery in the world, with a wealth of artistic adornments unparalleled anywhere. Its catacombs, mausoleums, and sarcophagi are adorned with elaborate symbols and figures as well as an impressive quantity of incised and painted inscriptions in Mishnaic Hebrew, Ancient Hebrew Aramaic, Palmyrene Aramaic, and Koine Greek, documenting two centuries of historical and cultural achievement. The fact that Rabbi Judah ha-Nasi was interred there led many other Jews from all over the country and from the Jewish diaspora, from nearby Phoenicia to far-away Himyar in Yemen, to be buried next to his grave. Almost 300 inscriptions primarily in Greek, but also in Hebrew, Aramaic, and Palmyrene were found on the walls of the catacombs containing numerous sarcophagi. The site was identified as Beit She'arim in 1936 by historical geographer Samuel Klein, and excavations were conducted by Benjamin Mazar and Nahman Avigad in the 1930s and 1950s, with renewed excavations ongoing as of 2021.
Did You Know?
- The necropolis contains more than 30 burial cave systems, of which 21 catacombs have been discovered.
- Grave robbers emptied the stone coffins of bones, believed to have occurred in the 8th and 9th centuries based on terracotta oil lamps found in situ.
- During the Mamluk Sultanate, Catacomb no. 20 served as a refuge for Arab shepherds.
- Inscriptions found at the site include references to people from as far as Palmyra, Tyre, Antioch, Mesene, and Himyar.
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