Rock-cut tombs in ancient Israel

The use of rock-cut cave tombs in the region began in the early Canaanite period, from 3100–2900 BCE.^[1] The custom lapsed a millennium, however, before re-emerging in the earliest Israelite tombs, dating to the 9th century BCE in Jerusalem. The use of rock-cut tombs reached its peak in the 8th and 7th centuries BCE, before rapidly declining and eventually falling out of use in the 6th century BCE in some regions.^[2] It reappeared during the Second Temple period and continued into the Late Roman and Byzantine periods.

Use of the tombs has been recorded as recently as the late Roman period around the 3rd century CE.^{[clarification needed][3]}

Rock-cut tombs were a form of burial and interment chamber used in ancient Israel. Cut into the landscapes surrounding ancient Judean^{[dubious – discuss]} cities, their design ranges from single chambered, with simple square or rectangular layouts, to multi-chambered with more complex designs. Almost all burial chambers contain a platform for primary burial and an ossuary or other receptacle^{[dubious – discuss]} for secondary burial. There is debate on if these tombs were originally intended for secondary burials, or if that practice arose later.^{[clarification needed][3]}

The use of such tombs was generally reserved for the middle- and upper-classes, and each typically belonged to a single nuclear or extended family.^{[clarification needed][citation needed]}