Israel Antiquities Authority
Press Office
A Fragment of a Sarcophagus was Discovered on which is Carved the
Inscription: “Ben HaCohen HaGadol”
Just before Yom Kippur – In Excavations along the Security Fence North
of Jerusalem a Fragment of a Sarcophagus was Discovered that Dates to
the Second Temple Period on which is Carved the Inscription: “Ben
HaCohen HaGadol”
Yom Kippur was the only day of the year when the high priest was
permitted to enter the Holy of Holies in the Temple.
A unique discovery was revealed in excavations that were conducted
north of Jerusalem: a fragment of a sarcophagus cover was found that
is engraved with square Hebrew script, characteristic of the Second
Temple period. The fragment (length 0.60 m, width 0.48 m) is made of
hard limestone, is meticulously fashioned and bears a carved
inscription that reads: “…Ben HaCohen HaGadol…”.
Numerous high priests served in the temple during the latter part of
the Second Temple period and there is no way of knowing which of the
priests the inscription refers to. However, it should probably be
identified with one of the priests that officiated there between the
years 30 and 70 CE. Among the high priests we know of from the end of
the Second Temple period were Caiaphas the priest, Theophilus
(Yedidiya) Ben Hanan, Simon Ben Boethus, Hanan Ben Hanan and others.
The excavations were conducted by the Unit of the Archaeological Staff
Officer of the Civil Administration in Judea and Samaria, under the
direction of Naftali Aizik and Benyamin Hareven, within the framework
of the salvage excavations that are currently being carried out along
the route of the security fence and underwritten by the Ministry of
Defense.
During the course of the excavation public and residential buildings,
agricultural installations, pools and cisterns were discovered which
range in date from the end of the Second Temple period to the Early
Islamic period.
The Land of Benjamin is known in scientific literature as the place
where the priests resided during the Second Temple period. This region
is analogous to the peripheral settlements of modern Jerusalem where
an affluent population dwelled that was active and earned its living
in the central city of Jerusalem. The site that was exposed is an
estate of one of the high priests who served in the temple in
Jerusalem. One can assume that the son of the high priest passed away
for some unknown reason at the time when his father still officiated
as the high priest in Jerusalem. It can further be assumed that this
high priest, as well as the rest of his family, was interred at the
same estate located north of Jerusalem; however, no other artifacts
have been found yet that verify this theory. It should be noted that
the fragment of the sarcophagus cover was not discovered in the estate
itself, rather it was recovered from the debris of the later remains.
It seems that the fragment was plundered from its original location
approximately one thousand years ago and was used in the construction
of a later Moslem building that was erected atop the ruins of the
houses from the Second Temple period.
The high priest was first and foremost amongst the priests in the
temple but his greatest importance was the role he played on Yom
Kippur. This was the only day of the year when the high priest was
allowed to enter the Holy of Holies. In the Yoma Tractate (Yom Kippur)
of the Mishnah the process which the high priest underwent seven days
prior to Yom Kippur, before he entered the Holy of Holies, is
described in detail. He would walk between the ornamental curtains
that separated the hall of the temple and the inner sanctum of the
Holy of Holies. Here he would burn the incense about which it was said
“…the entire temple filled with the smoke of incense”.
Until the Hellenistic period (the time of Antiochus Epiphanes IV) the
high priesthood was a position that was passed on hereditarily;
however after this period the high priest was appointed by the ruling
authorities. During Herod’s reign individuals who were not
Jerusalemites were appointed as high priests and it reached the point
whereby the priesthood became an office which was purchased with
money.
For downloading images go to
In the photographs:
1. Fragment of the sarcophagus cover
2. a close-up of the inscription.
3. A general photo of the excavation.
Photographic credit: Assaf Peretz and Shlomi Ammami, Archaeological
Staff Officer of Judea and Samaria.
For additional details, kindly contact:
Yoli Shwartz, Israel Antiquities Authority Spokesperson:
[email protected] / 052-5991888
Miki Galin, Civil Administration in Judea and Samaria Area:
[email protected] / 050-6234081
Website, texts and photos (c) Israel Antiquities Authority