The visitor first enters the ancient tombs through the original doorway, located just behind the modern altar (seen thru opening).

At the foot of the doorway a stone block with hinge-post holes can be seen. An alternate doorway has been constructed to the south to permit easier access, and reduce damage to the original entry. 

To read more about the tomb's archaeology, see Barkay and Kloner (1986, BAR, March/ April, p. 26).

Click on image to re-enter the modern section.

The large central chamber was probably where bodies were prepared prior to being placed on the burial benches. A double corniced trim can be seen running the length of the ceiling. Incised areas are also visible around each door, with recessed panels found on the walls. 

This view is into chambers 5 (left) and 6/7 (right). Between the doors is a depression that housed a copper box full of bones. Some reports refer to the contents as bird bones, others to the remains of children. The box was lost shortly after it was excavated and has never been located.
 

This is the only double chamber in the crypt complex. There are two burial benches in this room, with a doorway and stairs leading to a back chamber (7).

The repository seen under the burial bench in the forechamber (#6; to the right) is the area from which the bones used in the present study were exhumed. A modern second entry to the repository was added from Chamber 8 (not visible).

Chamber 7 houses three sarcophagi in which it is believed bodies of related individuals were stacked until full. However, they were empty when the biocultural study began and no record seems to exist to explain their absence.

The burial bench and repository can more clearly be seen in this view from inside Chamber 6. Bodies were initially placed on the burial bench. When the bench was needed for the next interrment, the remains were gathered up and placed in the repository below. 

Though hard to see in this image, each bench contains at least one headrest for the deceased. There is also a hole approximately halfway along the length of the bench, presumably for drainage of fluids during decomposition. It may have also served as a means to serve the elements (bread and wine) to the dead below.

Over 15,000 human remains were exhumed from repository 6, plus over 200 fragments of material culture, and 150+ non-human animal bones. 

Although the remains were commingled rather than interred as discrete burials, the degree of preservation of the bones was excellent.

This view into chamber 5 provides a glimpse of the layout of the remaining burial rooms. Each chamber has three burial benches - two along the sides, one across the back of the room. The back bench usually has two headrests (for more information on the headrests, see Barkay, 1988, BAR, 14(2):48-50).

Under one bench in each room, there is a repository for the bones (seen here to the right). Each room has a single step against the back bench.

These rooms are less ornate than chamber 6, with somewhat lower ceilings and no cornice along the ceiling.

Click on image to return to the monastery tour.