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AQUATARKUS / ISTOCK

TRAIL OF TOMBS. Many pilgrims to the Jerusalem Temple would descend through the Kidron Valley, passing by a number of monumental tombs. Although traditionally associated with important figures from the Hebrew Bible, these monuments—including the conically roofed Tomb of Absalom that rises from the valley—almost exclusively date from the late Second Temple period (first century BCE–first century CE). Through their prominent location along the ceremonial route into the city and opposite the Temple Mount, the tombs displayed the wealth, status, and prestige of Jerusalem’s elite families and reinforced the valley’s religious significance for Jewish pilgrims.