Researchers say they have uncovered at least 130 tombs in a Roman-era cemetery in the Occupied Palestinian Territories. The newly excavated Ard-al-Moharbeen Necropolis, which dates back to between the 2nd century BCE and the 2nd century CE, is the latest archaeological marvel to be unearthed in the Israeli-occupied Gaza Strip.
The dig is a joint effort between the French School of Biblical and Archeological Research in Jerusalem (EBAF) and nonprofit organization Première Urgence Internationale (PUI). The project is part of a larger initiative, funded by the British Council, to engage Palestinian young people with their country’s cultural heritage. This particular excavation employed 30 recent graduates from Gaza’s Islamic University and University of Palestine.
PUI’s Head of Mission Anthony Dutemple told Hyperallergic that it was “impossible to separate people’s cultural heritage from the people itself and their rights.”
“In Palestine, in a society deeply affected by the Israeli occupation, culture and heritage are vital elements in keeping hope alive,” Dutemple said.
Construction workers stumbled upon the cemetery in January 2022. The discovery brought their housing project to a standstill, and official research into the site began last fall. The necropolis is situated in Jabalia, a city that houses a large refugee camp, and is less than a mile from the ancient metropolis of Anthedon Blakhiyeh. The Mediterranean port city was inhabited from 800 BCE to 1100 CE by a succession of ancient societies, including Persians, Greeks, Romans, and early Islamic cultures. Last spring, an investigation by Forensic Architecture revealed that Israel’s forced population density and repeated bombings had placed the site under severe threat.
The cemetery, which likely housed the remains of Ancient Roman aristocrats, was remarkably intact. Many of the tombs still contain skeletal remains, some of which hold coins in their mouth cavities, a funerary practice meant to ensure safe passage to the underworld. PUI has been slowly announcing its findings as the dig continues, and in February, the organization found a lead sarcophagus with reliefs of vines, grapes, and leaves. On June 25, the object was moved to the Gaza Museum in the 13th-century Qasr Al Basha fortress. In addition to another lead sarcophagus depicting dolphins, the team has also recovered broken clay jars in some of the cemetery’s tombs. Now, the archaeologists are working to piece the vessels back together and clean the skeletal remains.
General Director of Gaza’s Antiquities Ministry Jamal Abu Reida called the discovery of the necropolis “unprecedented.”
“It deepens Palestinian roots on this land and shows they date back thousands of years,” Abu Reida told Reuters at the site.
Last September, an olive farmer in Gaza’s Bureij refugee camp uncovered a stunningly well-preserved Byzantine mosaic. PUI and EBAF are now working to excavate that location, along with the Monastery of Saint Hilarion in Nuseirat and the Byzantine Church of Mukheitim in Jabalia.
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