Art Resource, New York, NY

An arcosolium tomb, another typical kind of first-century tomb. A bench cut into the rock wall held the body. Over the bench, the rock was cut into an arch; hence the name arcosolium. This particular fourth-century example comes from the catacombs of the Via Latina in Rome; on its arcosolium is a depiction of the raising of Lazarus. But remains of an arcosolium tomb have also been found beneath the Church of the Holy Sepulchre. Early tradition identifies this tomb as that of Jesus. It is barely recognizable as a tomb, however, because over the centuries pilgrims chipped away at the rock and most of what remains has been covered by masonry.