Archaeological excavations at an ancient cemetery in Beit Shearim in the north of the country have unearthed an unusual tomb with a threatening warning written in Greek.
The Israel Antiquities Authority, in collaboration with the Zinman Institute of Archeology at the University of Haifa, discovered an 1,800-year-old find at the Beit Shearim excavation site.
It is reported by Maariv.
On the headstone in blood red: “Jacob Hagar swore to curse whoever opened this tomb so that no one would open it. For 60 years.”
Adi Ehrlich, an archaeologist at the University of Haifa, said it appears that the deceased intended to make sure that his resting place was eternal. She said: “This was to prevent others from opening up his grave at a later stage, which happens quite often, in order to reuse graves after a long time.”
Like it or not, the warning seems to have worked, as at the time of this writing archaeologists have decided to honor the will of the dead. “We have blocked off the cave for now to guard the tomb, but no excavations are currently planned,” Ehrlich said.
It is also the first address to be listed as a UNESCO World Heritage Site in 65 years, and experts believe it has existed since the late Roman or early Byzantine period.
Photo: Sergei Alon/Pen News
