4. The rock outside the entrance of the tomb-chamber should be
examined. It often shows rebating or other cutting, designed to
receive the foundations of a masonry mausoleum (resembling in general
style the rock-hewn monuments in the Kedron Valley at Jerusalem). As
a rule such structures have been entirely destroyed for the sake of
their stones.
5. The tool-marks of the tomb-quarriers should be examined, as they
sometimes reveal interesting technical points.
6. Every inch of the surface of the excavation, inside and out, must
be examined for ornaments, symbols, or inscriptions. These may be
either cut or painted, and often are very inconspicuous. Ornaments
are usually floral in type, though in late tombs figure-subjects are
occasionally to be found. Symbols are either Jewish (the seven-
branched candlestick) or Christian (the cross, A-omega, or the like).
Inscriptions are not necessarily formally cut: they are sometimes
mere scratched graffiti, which would be sure to escape notice unless
carefully looked for (as in the so-called 'Tombs of the Prophets' on
the Mount of Olives).
7. Dating of tombs.
The savage rifling to which Palestinian tombs have been subjected has
much reduced the material available for dating them. The following
general principles apply to Southern Palestine: those in Northern
Palestine and Syria still await a more exact study:
The earliest tombs known in the country were mere natural caves, into
which the dead were cast, often very unceremoniously.
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