Hundreds of tombs, elaborate and simple, were hewn into the slopes of the hills surrounding the city, mainly on the Mount of Olives and Mount Scopus. The burial caves were in continuous use for several generations by members of the same family.
Simple tombs have a narrow opening, sealed with a square stone.
Several dozen particularly large tombs have splendid facades, decorated with columns topped by gables with floral motifs. Thousands of these have been found in Jerusalem, some decorated and bearing inscriptions. They attest to the prevalent practice of collecting the bones of the deceased for secondary burial, a custom based on the Jewish belief in the resurrection of the dead. Following are descriptions of some of the more important tombs. Its four outer sides are decorated with Ionic columns supporting a Doric frieze.