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                         TOMBS

A tomb was a home or house for the dead, and in many primitive cultures the dead were buried under their own houses. Tombs first began as circular huts in which the body was placed, along with tools and personal goods. As time passed, tombs were built of more durable materials like brick and stone. They were domed or rectangular, depending on the shape of the houses used by that particular society. 

Kings and queens were sometimes provided not only with sumptuous funerary goods, but also with actual servants to look after them in the afterlife. One example is the tomb of Queen Shub-Ad of Ur (where Abraham originated), which contained the bodies of more than sixty of the queen's attendants. 

In early Christian communities, the tomb was seen as an earthly symbol of the heavenly home.  Roman catacombs are decorated with scenes of the resurrected person in Paradise. See end of page for information about burial customs.

The tomb that is said to have belonged to Lazarus - before the advent 
of modern tourism

The Tomb of Lazarus today.  
If it really was Lazarus' tomb, 
Jesus would have stood at about the spot 
the photographer is standing.

Inside the Tomb of Lazarus

Looking outwards from the tomb 
that is said to have belonged to Lazarus

A circa 1900 photograph of the tomb of the beautiful, tragic queen Mariamme, who was strangled by her husband Herod the Great. Upper Hinnom Valley, Jerusalem

A circa 1900 photograph 
of the entrance to 
an ancient tomb near Bethel

A rock tomb from the 1st century AD. 
The great round stone (at right) 
was rolled across to seal the tomb.

An ossuary was a box in which 
the bones of the dead person were stored. 
This one, discovered in the 1970's, 
was inscribed with the words 
'Simon the temple-builder' 

This tablet, erected 
some time between 100BC-100AD, commemorated the reburial of 
the bones of King Uzziah, 
who reigned 783-742BC

A tomb in Iran, said to have belonged to Esther and her uncle Mordecai

Fayum coffin portrait, 
3rd century BC

         DEATH AND BURIAL
When Jewish people heard that someone they loved had died, they tore the front part of their inner clothing. The tear was several inches long,  a symbol of grief: it represented the tearing pain in their hearts.

It was the women’s task to prepare a dead body for burial. The body was washed, and hair and nails were cut. Then it was gently wiped with a mixture of spices and wrapped in linen strips of various sizes and widths. While this was happening, prayers from the Scriptures were chanted.

The body was then carried to a tomb and laid on a long shelf carved into the stone. It could be wrapped in a shroud, but was otherwise uncovered.

Tombs were visited and watched for three days by family members and friends. On the third day after death, the body was examined. This was to make sure that the person was really dead, for accidental burial of someone still alive could happen. At this stage the body would be treated by the women of the family with oils and perfumes. The women's visit to the tombs of Jesus and Lazarus are connected with this ritual.

After visiting the tomb on the third day the body was not touched for a year, by which time it had decomposed. The bones were then collected and stored in an ossuary, a ‘bone box’, with the large bones at the bottom and the smaller bones and skull placed on top.

After the funeral, the family of the dead person stayed at home for seven days. They sat on the floor or on a low bench, barefoot. They did not wash themselves or their clothes, or do any work. They did not cook, but were given food by relatives. They were visited by a continual stream of friends and relatives, who sat with them and comforted them. For a thirty-day period after the death, the family members took no part in any entertainment, but lived a quiet, reflective life. After the death of a father or a mother, the mourning period was one year. This period was an opportunity to pay respect to the two people who had given you life.