Israeli authorities on Tuesday unveiled “one of the most impressive burial caves” ever discovered in the country, dating back some 2,000 years and dubbed, according to certain currents, “the tomb of Salome,” one of the midwives who were present at Jesus’ birth of Christianity.
The site was discovered 40 years ago by antiquities looters in the Lachish Forest between Jerusalem and the Gaza Strip, leading to archaeological digs that uncovered a vast forecourt that archaeologists say testifies to the importance of this burial cave.
The site where boxes of bones were found includes several rooms and niches carved into the stone. According to the Antiquities Authority (AIA), it is one of the “most impressive” and “most elaborate” caves discovered in Israel.
First used for Jewish burial rites, it belonged, according to this source, “to a wealthy Jewish family who put a lot of effort into preparing the cave.”
This then became a Christian chapel dedicated to Salomé, as evidenced by the presence of crosses and about ten inscriptions engraved on the walls that refer to it.
“Salome is a mysterious figure,” stressed the AIA. “According to Christian (Orthodox) tradition, the midwife in Bethlehem could not believe that she was asked to deliver the baby to a virgin, her hand went dry and was nursed only as she held the baby’s cradle.
Worship of Salome and use of the site continued into the 9th century, after the Muslim conquest, the AIA said. “Some of the inscriptions were written in Arabic while Christian believers continued to pray at the site.”
During the excavation of the 350 m2 forecourt, stalls were uncovered which, according to archaeologists, were selling clay lamps.
“We have found hundreds of complete and broken lamps from the 8th to 9th centuries,” said Nir Shimshon-Paran and Zvi Firer, directors of excavations in southern Israel for the AIA.
“The lamps may have been used to illuminate the cave or in connection with religious ceremonies, just as candles are placed on tombs and in churches today,” they said.