Four two-thousand-year-old Roman tombs were discovered in the north of the Gaza Strip, a Palestinian archaeologist told France Presse (AFP) this Saturday, allowing the reconstruction of the first complete Roman cemetery in this Palestinian territory.
“With the discovery of these four tombs, the total number of tombs in this Roman cemetery, dating from the period between the 1st century BC and the 2nd century AD, now amounts to 134,” said Fadel al-Otol, lamenting the lack financing to continue the work.
According to al-Otol, it is “the first complete Roman necropolis” discovered in Gaza, in which “fragments of ceramics and pieces of metal used in funerary rituals” were also discovered.
The cemetery contains pyramid-shaped tombs. Inside, a team of technicians, under the direction of al-Otol, carry out restoration operations with rudimentary tools.
“Two lead coffins were recently discovered at the site, one decorated with bunches of grapes and the other with dolphins swimming in the water,” highlighted the Palestinian archaeologist.
Funding for the excavation and restoration work comes from the British Council’s Cultural Protection Fund.
The Gaza Strip, a small, impoverished territory, borders Israel and Egypt and is bathed by the Mediterranean Sea.
Controlled by the Palestinian Islamist movement Hamas, it has been under an Israeli blockade for more than 15 years.
Source: TSF
