The necropolis of Beit She’arim is an extensive rock-cut cemetery containing more than 30 burial cave systems (catacombs). Hewn into the soft limestone slopes southwest of the town, these catacombs range from small and simple tombs to complex networks of halls, at times two stories high. It appears that the cutting of burial caves was a significant part of the town’s economy.

Structure and Features:

• Access to most caves is through open courtyards, leading to impressive façades inspired by Classical architecture, often featuring stone doors on hinges carved in imitation of wooden doors with panels and nails. Some of these heavy stone doors still turn on their original axis. The Hebrew name Beit She’arim, meaning “House of Gates,” may be linked to these impressive entrances.
• Inside, the burial caves consist of a central hallway with a network of halls branching off. One of the largest catacombs (No. 1, also known as the Cave of the Horseman) contains 16 burial halls with approximately 400 assorted burial places.
• Burial places were hewn in various forms, including troughs, pit graves, arcosolia (burial benches topped by an arched ceiling), and loculi (recesses in the wall). Some tombs also had superstructures, such as the mausoleum. Semi-circular structures with benches built above some caves likely served as places for prayer and sermons on memorial days.
• Inscriptions, numbering close to 300, were engraved or painted on the walls and on stone plaques. The majority are in Greek, with others in Hebrew, Aramaic, and a few in Palmyrene. These inscriptions typically include the name of the deceased and expressions like “shalom” (peace) or “haval” (alas!). Longer inscriptions provide valuable information about the deceased, such as genealogy, occupation, place of origin (including distant Jewish communities in Syria, Lebanon, Egypt, Babylonia, and even southern Arabia), and sometimes even curses against those who would disturb the tombs. The geographical references in the inscriptions highlight the wide dispersal of the Jewish people at that time and the international importance of the necropolis. Some inscriptions even show Hellenistic cultural influence, with epigrams taken from Homer’s poems.
• The walls and tombs are adorned with elaborate symbols and figures. These include Jewish symbols such as the menorah (seven-branched candelabrum), lulav (palm branch), ethrog (citron), shofar (ram’s horn), and Torah Ark. There are also geometric decorations, animals (bulls, eagles, lions, birds, fish, horses), and figures from Hellenistic myth and religion. This blend of artistic styles reflects the cross-cultural interaction with the Greco-Roman world.
  Sarcophagi:
  Numerous sarcophagi (stone coffins) were found within the catacombs.
• They were made of local limestone or marble, with a few examples in clay or lead. Evidence also suggests burial in wooden coffins, of which only metal parts survived.
• Some 130 limestone sarcophagi decorated in a local version of Roman mortuary style were discovered in the most important burial complex (No. 20, the Cave of the Coffins).
• Marble sarcophagi with mythological scenes, often broken and reused for lime production in later periods, were also found.
• The decorations on these sarcophagi were diverse, including foreign motifs like bulls’ heads, eagles, and facing lions, alongside Jewish symbols like the menorah. The “mother of all menorahs,” a large relief carving, was found in the Cave of the Coffins.
• One notable sarcophagus depicts a pair of lions, a Jewish symbol often associated with Judah and Jerusalem.
• Inscriptions were sometimes found on the sarcophagi, mentioning rabbis and famous persons. Examples include the coffin of Rabbi Hillel [Halil], son of Rabbi Levi, who made the cave, and the coffin of Kyra Mega, wife of Rabbi Joshua, son of Levi.