Tombs with decorated facades in the Judean countryside

Tombs with monumental façades (also known as façade tombs or display tombs) are mainly known from the necropolis of Jerusalem and belong to the elites of the city of the late Second Temple period (Late Hellenistic – Early Roman periods: 2^nd cent. B.C.E. – 70 C.E.). Their façades imitate monumental buildings in an eclectic design combining Greco-Roman motifs and elements from Near Eastern architecture, while adapting to the religious needs and character of the local population. In this paper a group of decorated tombs situated in the Judean countryside will be discussed in view of the well-known Jerusalem corpus. The Judean tombs include two main clusters: the first is situated in western Samaria and the second in the southern Hebron Hills. In recent years, additional monumental tombs have been documented in rural areas, some of which have a large unadorned façade. Unlike Jerusalem tombs, which were discussed extensively in the scholarly literature, relatively few studies have been dedicated to the rural areas. Moreover, no comprehensive historical research has yet been conducted. In the current study, we would like to present and discuss tombs with monumental façades situated in the Judean countryside. We will examine their distribution, analyze their architectural concepts, decorations and typology, and discuss their historical setting.