Beit She'arim necropolis

Entrance of the Cave of Coffins, Beit She'arim National Park Visitors at the Cave of Coffins, Beit She'arim National Park Two lions facing each other – A Greek mythological scene decoration on sarcophagus Wall inscription (epitaph) in Greek: "The tomb of Aidesios, head of the council of elders, from Antiochia" Beit She'arim ( ), also known as Beth She'arim or Besara (Greek), is the archeological site of a Jewish town and necropolis . The site is part of the Beit She'arim National Park , which borders the town of Kiryat Tiv'on on the northeast and is located close to the modern moshav of Beit She'arim . It is situated 20 km east of Haifa in the southern foothills of the Lower Galilee . The park is managed by the Israel Nature and Parks Authority . According to Moshe Sharon, following Kutcher, the name of the city was more correctly Beit She'arayim (the House (or Village) of Two Gates).

Entrance of the Cave of Coffins, Beit She'arim National Park Visitors at the Cave of Coffins, Beit She'arim National Park Two lions facing each other – A Greek mythological scene decoration on sarcophagus Wall inscription (epitaph) in Greek: "The tomb of Aidesios, head of the council of elders, from Antiochia" Beit She'arim ( , ), also known as Beth She'arim or Besara (in Ancient Greek Βησάρα), literally The House of Two Gates , is the archeological site of a Jewish town and a large number of ancient rock-cut Jewish tombs . The necropolis is part of the Beit She'arim National Park , which borders the town of Kiryat Tiv'on on the northeast and is located close to the modern moshav of Beit She'arim . It is situated 20 km east of Haifa in the southern foothills of the Lower Galilee . The park is managed by the Israel Nature and Parks Authority . In 2002 it was proposed as a UNESCO World Heritage Site and as of 2012 is on the "Tentative List". The proposal describes the site as follows: The town's vast necropolis, carved out of soft limestone, contains more than 30 burial cave systems. Although only a portion of the necropolis has been excavated, it has been likened to a book inscribed in stone. Its catacombs, mausoleums, and sarcophagi are adorned with elaborate symbols and figures as well as an impressive quantity of incised and painted inscriptions in Hebrew, Aramaic, Palmyrene, and Greek, documenting two centuries of historical and cultural achievement. The wealth of artistic adornments contained in this, the most ancient extensive Jewish cemetery in the world, is unparalleled anywhere. According to Moshe Sharon, following Kutcher, the name of the city was more correctly Beit She'arayim (the House (or Village) of Two Gates). The ancient Yemenite Jewish pronunciation of this town is "Beith Sha'arayim" (Heb. בֵּית שַׁעֲרַיִם), and is more closely related to the Greek rendition of name, i.e. Βησάρα. See: Babylonian Talmud, Punctuated (תלמוד בבלי מנוקד), ed. Sanhedrin 32b (Hebrew) Beth She'arim , UNESCO world heritage site "tentative list", summary from 2002 Sharon, Moshe (2004), Corpus Inscriptionum Arabicarum Palaestinae, Vol.

The Jewish necropolis at Beit She'arim Beit She'arim National Park Wall inscription (epitaph) in Greek: "The tomb of Aidesios, head of the council of elders, from Antiochia" Menorah and sarcophagus in "Cave of the Coffins", Catacomb no. 20 Decorated sarcophagus in "Cave of the Coffins", Catacomb no. 20 Beit She'arim ( , "House of the Gates") is the currently used name for the ancient Jewish town of Bet She'arāyim ( , "House of Two Gates") or Kfar She'arāyim ( , "Village of Two Gates"), made popular by its necropolis , now known as Beit She'arim National Park . The site, located on a hill, was known initially by its Arabic name Sheikh Ibreik or Sheikh Abreik , purchased by the Jewish National Fund , and which historical geographer Samuel Klein in 1936 identified as Talmudic Beit She'arim. The partially excavated archaeological site consists mainly of an extensive necropolis of rock-cut tombs and some remains of the town itself. The site is managed by the National Parks Authority . It borders the town of Kiryat Tiv'on on the northeast and is located five kilometres west of Moshav Beit She'arim . It is situated 20 km east of Haifa in the southern foothills of the Lower Galilee . In 2015, the necropolis was declared a UNESCO World Heritage Site . The town's vast necropolis is carved out of soft limestone and contains more than 30 burial cave systems. Although only a portion of the necropolis has been excavated, it has been likened to a book inscribed in stone. Its catacombs , mausoleums , and sarcophagi are adorned with elaborate symbols and figures as well as an impressive quantity of incised and painted inscriptions in Hebrew, Aramaic, Palmyrene, and Greek, documenting two centuries of historical and cultural achievement. The wealth of artistic adornments contained in this, the most ancient extensive Jewish cemetery in the world, is unparalleled anywhere. Beth She'arim – Report on the Excavations during 1936–40 (in Hebrew). "Byzantine Mosaics at Bet She'arim: New Evidence for the History of the Site". 'Atiqot . 28 : 115– 146. In the Jerusalem Talmud ( Kila'im 9:3), the town's name is written in an elided-consonant form, ( ), which follows more closely the Greek transliteration in Josephus' Vita § 24, ( ).

Jewish necropolis at Beit She'arim Beit She'arim National Park Wall inscription (epitaph) in Greek: "The tomb of Aidesios, head of the council of elders, from Antiochia" Menorah and sarcophagus in "Cave of the Coffins", Catacomb no. 20 Decorated sarcophagus in "Cave of the Coffins", Catacomb no. 20 Beit She'arim Necropolis ( Hebrew : בֵּית שְׁעָרִים , "House of Gates") is an extensive rock-cut necropolis located near the ancient Jewish town of Beit She'arim , 20 km east of Haifa in the southern foothills of the Lower Galilee . Part of Beit She'arim National Park , the site includes the necropolis and remains of the town. Used from the first to fourth centuries CE, its peak occurred in the late second century when the Sanhedrin , led by Judah ha-Nasi , relocated to Beit She'arim, and his family was interred there. In 2015, the necropolis was designated a UNESCO World Heritage Site . The necropolis is carved out of soft limestone and contains more than 30 burial cave systems. When 20th-century archaeologists first explored the catacombs , the tombs had already fallen into great disrepair and neglect, and the sarcophagi contained therein had almost all been broken into by grave robbers in search of treasure. This pillaging was believed to have happened in the 8th and 9th centuries based on the type of terracotta oil lamps found in situ . The robbers also emptied the stone coffins of the bones of the deceased. During the Mamluk Sultanate (13–15th centuries), the "Cave of the Coffins" (Catacomb no. 20) served as a place of refuge for Arab shepherds. Claude Reignier Conder of the Palestine Exploration Fund visited the site in late 1872 and described one of the systems of caves, known as "The Cave of Hell" ( Mughārat al-Jahannum ). While exploring a catacomb, he found there a coin of Agrippa, which find led him to conclude that the ruins date back to "the later Jewish times, about the Christian era." Benjamin Mazar , during his excavations of Sheikh Abreik, discovered coins that date no later than the time of Constantine the Great and Constantius II . Although only a portion of the necropolis has been excavated, it has been likened to a book inscribed in stone. Its catacombs, mausoleums , and sarcophagi are adorned with elaborate symbols and figures as well as an impressive quantity of incised and painted inscriptions in Mishnaic Hebrew , Jewish Palestinian Aramaic , Palmyrene Aramaic , and Koine Greek , documenting two centuries of historical and cultural achievement. The wealth of artistic adornments in this, the most ancient extensive Jewish cemetery in the world, is unparalleled anywhere. The Jews under Roman Rule . The Jews under Roman Rule .