<p>First-century ossuaries in a Jewish tomb of the kokkhim (or "niche") type. This kind of tomb was distinctive to the Hasmonean and Roman periods in Judea and Galilee. An open central area was surrounded by several burial niches (kokkhim) which radiated out at right angles to the tomb wall. Newly deceased members of the family would be placed in these niches until decomposition was complete. At that point the bones would be collected and placed in an ossuary so that the niche could be re-used for another family member. As depicted here, the ossuaries holding the remains of earlier generations were placed around the open central chamber as space allowed.<br></p>
<a href="https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/en:Jerusalem" class="extiw" title="w:en:Jerusalem"><span title="city in Israel and West Bank of Palestine">Jerusalem</span></a>
<a rel="nofollow" class="external text" href="https://www.flickr.com/people/38000818@N06">Ian Scott</a>
CC BY-SA 2.0
<a rel="nofollow" class="external text" href="https://www.flickr.com/photos/ian-w-scott/3788495987/">Jewish Tomb at Dominus Flavit</a>