Tomb of Zechariah
About
This solid, uncarved block of limestone stands cut directly into the cliff face of the Kidron Valley, facing the Temple Mount from across the ravine. Jewish tradition names it for the priest Zechariah ben Jehoiada, though the monument itself is a monolith carved from the rock rather than a hollow chamber, meaning it never actually held a burial. Architectural analysis points to construction sometime in the 1st century BCE or CE. It sits just six meters from the neighboring Tomb of Benei Hezir.
What happened here
Roman burial is a family matter conducted in public. The dead are carried out of town, cremated or laid in the ground, and mourned with formal noise; the funeral of anyone important is a procession with masks of the ancestors carried by hired men. The tomb that follows is designed to be read by strangers on the road: name, age, offices, sometimes a trade shown in relief, often a line addressed directly to the passer-by. Ordinary people appear here as they nowhere else — a baker with his ovens carved on the front, a freedman naming the woman he could finally marry, a child's age given in days. Anniversaries bring the family back with food and wine.
Sources
Roman Maps shows the empire frozen at 11 August 117 CE, the day Trajan died — its moment of greatest territorial extent. Explore the full map →