A new type of cemetery from the Late Mamluk and Early Ottoman Periods from central Israel

In a series of cemeteries from the Late Mamluk and Early Ottoman Periods excavated in Israel, a rare feature was discovered. Some of the tombs are sealed by whole ceramic vessels, intentionally located on the tomb, placed on their bases, rims or bodies. The vessels consistently belong to three reiterative forms, dated to the Mamluk and Ottoman Periods. To date, seven cemeteries of this kind were discovered, but not all of them were published or even identified as such by the excavators. All the cemeteries are located in a well-defined area, namely between the basins of Nahal Yarqon in the north and Nahal Soreq in the south. The particular regional distribution and typological variation pose intriguing questions, on which this paper is focused.