UNEARTHED

Archaeologists Discover Gaza’s Largest Cemetery

Also among the finds are two rare lead sarcophagi.

An ancient grave site discovered by Palestinian workers on the Gaza strip last year resulted in an unexpected archaeological find of what researchers have claimed is the largest cemetery in Gaza. In January, archaeologists discovered 60 graves at the site, but since then, 135 graves have been excavated in total. They also discovered two lead sarcophagi - a first for Gaza archaeology. The team is working on sending skeletons and human remains outside of Gaza for further research and excavating other artifacts like clay jars. Renee Elter, the French lead archaeologist on the project says the region boasts a “plethora” of potential new sites. “All of these tombs have almost already been excavated and have revealed a huge amount of information about the cultural material and also about the state of health of the population and the pathologies from which this population may have suffered,” Elter said.