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BOAZ ZISSU, BAR-ILAN UNIVERSITY

JEWISH TOMBS. Rooms II and III of the cave complex feature several kokhim, or burial niches, which are indicative of its original use as a Jewish tomb. When initially interred, the body of the deceased was placed in one of the niches. Once the person’s remains had decayed, the bones were removed and placed in an ossuary or “bone box,” thus making the niche available for a new burial. Accumulated ossuaries were then stored in a different room deeper in the cave.