1800-year-old ‘cursed tomb’ found in Israel with a ‘bloody’ warning: Do not open

A cursed tomb has been unearthed in the holy land along with a warning to anyone who might try to open it.

After a new cave was discovered in the ancient necropolis of Beit She’arim, Israel, the tomb was discovered with a blood-red inscription of a curse painted on it.

The inscription was as follows: “Yaakov Ha’Ger swears that whomever opens this grave will be cursed, thus no one will open it. I am sixty years old.” Jacob, a convert to Judaism, is said to have written a tomb marker in red ink in the famed Jewish cemetery in Galilee eighteen hundred years ago.

According to Adi Erlich, an archaeologist at the University of Haifa, the deceased man desired for his final resting place to be truly forever.

“It was to prevent people from accessing the tomb at a later date, which happens fairly frequently – tombs being reused over time,” she explained.

And it appears to have succeeded, since archaeologists appear to be honouring his desires for the time being.

“All we did was take care of the inscription and block the cave for the time being,” she explained.

“At this time, no excavations are planned.”

This is the first inscription discovered at the UNESCO World Heritage Site in 65 years, and it is thought to be from the late Roman or early Byzantine periods.

The 1,800-year-old inscription is making a sensation among archaeologists even without an excavation. Jacob the proselyte – a convert to Judaism – is Yaakov Ha’Ger’s name. And it appears that Jacob found his faith at an inopportune time: when another religion was on the rise.

Professor Erlich explained, “The inscription is from the late Roman or early Byzantine period, when Christianity was strengthened.” “And here we find proof that some people still choose to join the Jewish people.”

“We know about Roman converts largely from burial contexts, such as first-century AD Jerusalem or third- to fourth-century AD Rome,” she concluded. However, this is the first proselyte from Beit She’arim, and their presence in Galilee is not thoroughly documented. As a result, this is true news.”

Beit She’arim, a UNESCO World Heritage Site, is thought to be the ultimate resting place of Judah HaNasi, a prominent 2nd century CE rabbi. Jews from all around the region came from far and wide to be buried alongside HaNasi.

Yonatan Orlin, a conservator with Israel’s Nature and Parks Authority, discovered the cave by chance a year ago.

The first cave led to further caves, and the inscription was discovered in the deepest of these, hidden in full darkness.

“God will bless Judah, the owner of this tomb,” stated an inscription next it for a second grave.

The International Authority for the Preservation of Art (IAA) was established for the purpose of preserving art and maybe displaying it in the future. After the destruction of Jerusalem in 70 AD, Beit She’arim became a major Jewish centre.

It became the site of the Sanhedrin, an assembly of elders appointed to sit as a tribunal in the ancient Land of Israel, due to its significance.

With the advent of the Islamic period, however, it began to dwindle.