Israel antiquities authority and their local police retrieved three 1850 years old ossuaries, later removed for safekeeping from theft.
On Monday, Israel Antiquities Authority announced the operation to the press. According to them, the Kafr Kanna police first noticed a site that was undergoing private construction. The site was located at the Mashhad village in Galilee, Israel. Noticing some odd mounds of earth, which did not resemble natural geographical patterns, the police contacted the Theft Prevention Unit of the Israel Antiquities Authority. On excavation, the team found an ancient Roman burial cave on the site, which was badly damaged by the construction work. Amir Ganor (Director, Theft Prevention Unity, Israel Antiquities Authority) said: “The original details of the destroyed cave cannot be reconstructed, and almost two-thousand-year-old cultural assets are lost forever. Thanks to the vigilance and determination of the Kafr Kanna Police, and the successful cooperation with the Israel Antiquities Authority, one of the caves was mostly saved.”
More importantly, they also discovered three intact, decorated stone ossuaries. Experts estimate them to be 1850 years old. The ossuaries were small, rectangular stone chests that had flat lids on the top. The chests are decorated with various symbols, including a mausoleum, by using soft limestone. In ancient Jewish culture, ossuaries were part of the second burial; after the flesh was rotten away from the buried body, the stones were placed inside the stone container and buried. This practice has historical evidence among the Jews in Galilee, dating between the 1st century BCE – 2nd century CE.
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However, the recovered ossuaries were empty, without any bones. They were also far away from the burial site. This suggested that the site was previously looted. To safeguard the antique artifacts and prevent any further theft, the antiquities authority has collected and removed the found objects.
