Death and Burial in the Polytheistic Communities of the Hellenistic Southern Levant Hellenistic Southern Levan

This paper provides an in-depth study of the burial practices of the Hellenistic polytheistic communities of the Southern Levant. It discusses the modes of burial via the available data and addresses anew the origin of the loculi-tomb type vis-à-vis the contemporary social background in light of recently published theories. In addition, Hellenistic-period funerary assemblages are discussed, relating to their composition, function and meaning in contemporary mortuary rituals and beliefs. The different funerary traditions and values of the cultures of the Hellenistic-period Southern Levant communities are considered, as well as the spatial location of the burial grounds, their economic status and, where available, their relation to a respective settlement. Changes and continuity were studied in relation to the preceeding Persian-period funerary culture to evaluate Hellenism in the region.