Image Details

Excavating in the Judean Hills: Excavators dig into the Judean hillside overlooking the city of Jericho where they unearthed 120 tomb caves in a Jewish cemetery. The cemetery, spread across seven hills, was used from the last days of the Hasmoneans (first century B.C.) until the destruction of Herodian Jericho in 68 A. D. Because of the dry, hot climate of this area near the Dead Sea, numerous wooden coffins were preserved within the tomb chambers. These Jewish wooden coffins are the first from this period found in an archaeological excavation.