BIBLE HISTORY DAILY

Mysterious Tombs Reveal Insights into Ancient Trade

From Arabia to the Mediterranean and back again

Aerial photo of one of the mysterious tombs. Courtesy Emil Aladjem, IAA.

At the crossroads of ancient trade routes running through the Negev Desert, archaeologists with the Israel Antiquities Authority (IAA) discovered a complex of mysterious tombs dating from the seventh through fifth centuries BCE. Among the ruins, the team discovered evidence that passing caravans came from as far away as ancient South Arabia (modern Yemen), trading in frankincense, myrrh, and possibly even trafficked women.

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The Desert Spice Route

Discovered near Tlalim junction in the northern Negev Desert, the site consists of two tombs separated by a courtyard. Although not close to any permanent settlements, the tombs sat at the crossroads of two important ancient trade routes, the Scorpion Ascents and the Way of the Sultan, which connected Egypt and Phoenicia to the Arabian Peninsula from at least the third millennium BCE. It was sometime between the seventh and fifth centuries BCE, however, that the two tombs were constructed, likely by merchants passing along the desert route.

Alabaster jar and lid from the excavation. Courtesy Emil Aladjem, IAA.

Among the tombs, archaeologists uncovered a large number of artifacts from across the region. These included Judahite and Edomite pottery, Egyptian amulets and scarabs, alabaster vessels, flint arrowheads, and stone incense burners from South Arabia. The alabaster vessels, each with a lid, would have been used to transport incense such as frankincense and myrrh, as alabaster was thought to be the best way to preserve incense.

Scarabs discovered at the tombs. Courtesy Emil Aladjem, IAA.

The archaeologists also found copper and silver jewelry, hundreds of colorful stone beads, and rare shells. Most of the artifacts were uncovered inside the tombs and had likely been deposited as grave goods. “The discovery is unique,” said Martin Pasternak, the director of the IAA’s excavation, and Tali Erickson-Gini, a senior researcher. “It points to wide-reaching cultural interchange between southern and northern Arabia, Phoenicia, Egypt, and southern Europe. The great variety of finds is evidence that this previously unknown site was a place of burial for trade caravans during that period and burial and cultic practices took place here. Naturally, these journeys would have taken months under difficult circumstances such as climate, the danger of raiders, and other challenges.” It is possible that caravans returned to the site often, to perform rituals and bury those who died during the journey.

Together, the two tombs contained the bodies of around 60 individuals, apparently buried at different times. Interestingly, the individuals appear to have been mainly women. Unlike most graves discovered in the Negev, which are simple stone mounds, these tombs were constructed as square burial chambers consisting of roughly cut stones and stepped or domed ceilings held up by pillars.

Excavating the tombs with a solar power station in the background. Courtesy Emil Aladjem, IAA.

“In light of the presence of special artifacts,” added Pasternak and Erickson-Gini, “we assume that many of the deceased were women, and it is possible that the trade caravans conducted human trafficking; texts of traders from Yemen in the second half of the first millennium BCE (called the Minaeans) describe purchasing women, among them those from Gaza, Egypt, Greece, Moab, and Edom. An inscription discovered in Yemen lists 30 women purchased in the city of Gaza.”

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