ABSTRACT
Jerusalem, during the first millennium bce, was a city surrounded by the dead. That is to say, the predominant burial practice in Jerusalem was to place the dead in cemeteries outside of the city’s walls. In Jerusalem’s Kidron Valley, the most visible tombs date to the first century ce: the so-called Tomb of Absalom, the Tomb of Zechariah, and the Benei Hezir Tomb. The cemeteries of Jerusalem during the Iron II–III period consist of three areas: the eastern necropolis in Silwan, the northern necropolis, and the western cemetery along the Hinnom Valley. Like most of the other Iron Age cemeteries in Jerusalem, the Silwan tombs are no longer used for burial, although there are more cemeteries adjacent to Silwan on the Mount of Olives. The uniqueness of the Silwan necropolis underscores the Royal Steward’s tomb, and relates to Isaiah’s rebuke of Shebna. Jerusalem’s Iron Age cemeteries typify Judahite mortuary practices, as identified in the rock-cut bench tomb.
