Workers Uncover Intact 4,000 Year-Old Tomb In Bethlehem
A Palestinian antiquities official said on Tuesday that workers renovating a house in the traditional town of Jesus’ birth accidentally discovered an untouched ancient tomb containing clay pots, plates, beads and the bones of two humans, the Associated Press reported.
Mohammed Ghayyada, director of the Palestinian Authority’s Ministry of Tourism and Antiquities, said the 4,000-year-old tomb offers a glimpse of the burial customs of the area’s inhabitants during the Canaanite period.
Ghayyada said workers in a house near the Church of the Nativity uncovered a hole leading to the grave. Antiquities officials were contacted and they photographed the grave intact before removing its contents.
The tomb, which was found about one yard below ground, was dated to the Early Bronze Age, between 1,900 B.C. and 2,200 B.C.
"It’s an important reference to the life of the Canaanites," said Jerusalem-based archaeologist and historian Stephen Pfann.
He said the find could provide a glimpse into life in the area before the time when the Biblical patriarchs are said to have lived.
He added that while many artifacts from this period exist, intact graves are rare, mainly because of looting.
Historians and scholars can learn more from intact graves because they show how items were arranged in the tombs.
Pfann said that every time a new tomb is found, it adds to the picture.
The Bethlehem Peace Center, a cultural center near where the tomb was discovered, will house the grave’s findings.
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Image Caption: The Church of the Nativity. Courtesy Ian and Wendy Sewell – Wikipedia
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