A ‘cursed’ tomb has been discovered at a UNESCO World Heritage site in Israel with a warning to anyone who tries opening it.
The 1,800-year-old grave marker with its blood-red Greek inscription belonged to a man named Jacob, a convert to Judaism.
“Jacob (Iokobos) the convert swears upon himself that any who open this grave will be cursed,” read the warning on the tomb, according to The Times of Israel. Following this ominous statement is a thick red line drawn on the grave, after which another scribe wrote “Aged 60.”
The tomb was found in Beit She’arim, a prominent Jewish cemetery in Galilee, Israel, that is today a UNESCO World Heritage Site and an important archaeological location.
It was found about one year ago when a new cave was revealed in the ancient necropolis.
Tel Aviv University Professor Jonathan Price, who deciphered the inscription, told Times of Israel that it was very common to have curse warnings against the opening of a grave. What made this inscription unique is that it was composed in “odd,” redundant Greek.
Price assumes that Greek was the native language of Jacob, who took the name Yaakov Ha’Ger after converting to Judaism – although he states it’s impossible to know where the convert came from, given that Beit She’arim is an international cemetery and Jews from all over the world made an effort to be buried there.
“Beit She’arim is known for being an international burial ground for Jews from all over the east,” said Price. “Who knows where he [Jacob] came from. And we will never know unless we find his diary, which we won’t.”
According to Metro News, this is the first inscription to be identified at a UNESCO World Heritage Site in the last 65 years. It dates back to the late Roman or early Byzantine period.