THE SECOND TEMPLE PERIOD

Ossuaries

For a long time, cemeteries in Judea held family tombs. However, in the 1st century BCE, second burials in ossuaries became the common practice in Judea. In this custom, which originated in the Jerusalem region, the remains were first placed in the tomb. Then, after a year, the family would gather the deceased's bones and transfer them to a stone coffin called an ossuary, and place it in a niche carved into the stone wall of the burial cave.

Ossuary of Joseph, son of Caiaphas Collection of Israel Antiquities Authority, exhibited at The Israel Museum, Jerusalem Photo © Israel Museum, Jerusalem