Yesterday, in a newly dug grave, Israeli volunteers buried hundreds of bones found in a two-millennia-old burial cave near Jericho that had apparently been looted. Rachel Bernstein writes:
The cave was . . . exposed by a tractor during illegal agricultural work. The cave’s grottoes were badly damaged, and hundreds of newly severed human bones had been discovered in freshly turned soil. . . .
Haifa University’s Rachel Hachlili, who has extensively studied Jewish necropolises near Jericho, noted during the complex’s initial discovery that these caves constitute the largest Second Temple-era burial ground in Israel. Hundreds of tombs were found in a complex of dozens of burial caves, in which unique inscriptions were uncovered that provided details about the deceased.
The burial complex is believed to be associated with a Hasmonean palace . . . located near Jericho—a place with ideal winter climate not far from Jerusalem. To maintain economic flow to these complexes, the Hasmoneans initiated agricultural projects, which flourished during their time and supported local Jewish communities.
Read more on Jerusalem Post: https://www.jpost.com/Israel-News/2000-year-old-Jewish-bones-found-in-Jericho-receive-burial-in-Kfar-Adumim-590278