 Around 20-15 BCE, Judaean elites started using ossuaries made of limestone, a custom that continued in the Jerusalem area until little after 70 CE (Keddie 2019, p.230).The very large, monumental tombs of elite families from the Late Hellenistic period, often capped by pyramids or accompanied by impressive markers known as "nefesh", are giving way in the Early Roman period to such enhanced by elaborate and refined facade relief decorations (Keddie 2019, p. 229).During the Second Temple period, rock-cut tombs were built outside the walls of the city of Jerusalem in every direction, but predominantly to the north and south of the city.