Roman Sarcophagus
Roman Sarcophagus The Nabatean cemetery at Mampsis has a shaft 15–20 feet deep. The lower part of this shaft was lined with nicely dressed stones and contained the wooden coffin. Above this the shaft was filled with stones up to ground level. Above ground a stepped pyramid marked the place of the tomb. In one tomb that was similar in other respects an ossuary was found, containing remains of bones wrapped in linen. At Mampsis and Elusa other forms of secondary burial were also encountered. Much evidence for this practice also comes from Egra and Petra. The dead were buried with their personal jewelry and a coin was placed in the mouth; otherwise grave offerings were not common, though quantities of discarded bowls and cooking pots indicate that funerary meals were customary among the Nabateans. There are many indications that their funerary customs did not differ much, in this and other respects, from those of the Jews. Negev, Avraham. The Archaeological encyclopedia of th...