Grave

When people died, they were buried. There were different types of graves, graves in the ground or a space hewn out of a rock were the most common.

Most Jews buried their dead in an individual grave that had been dug in the ground. This can be seen, amongst other things, from the small number of rock graves found around Jerusalem compared to the city’s inhabitants.
The dead body was wrapped in a cloth and placed in the grave, sometimes in a wooden coffin. Afterwards, the grave was filled in with earth and covered with a layer of stones. Often, a large stone was placed at the head to mark the grave.

Artificially hewn tombs were for the elite and were found almost exclusively outside the city. A rock-hewn tomb consisted of one or more grave chambers, which could be accessed via a narrow corridor. The grave was closed off with a large stone that could be rolled away.
Rock-cut tombs have also been found hewn out of chalk. These graves have a downward sloping passage way that leads into a grave chamber. The grave chamber was closed off by a stone, whilst the passage way itself was filled with stone and sand.
A grave was used by several generations of one family, which is what is referred to with the phrase “buried with his ancestors”.

At the old settlement of Khirbet Qumran, people were buried in the ground. At Qumran, a relatively large graveyard has been preserved thanks to favourable conditions. There is a dry climate and no buildings have been constructed on top of the graves.
The graves at Qumran are completely covered with stones, with larger stones at the head and foot end. These unusual markers may have to do with a strict interpretation of ritual purity by the inhabitants of Qumran. This very clear demarcation decreased the chance of someone accidentally stepping on a grave and becoming unclean.