A lead coffin from the Roman period at Horbat Ohad, Kibbutz Bet Guvrin(with a contribution by Natalya Katsnelson)

In a tomb hewn into soft limestone (qirton) at Horbat Ohad, a lead coffin and its lid were uncovered. Within the coffin were the bones of a female, aged 17-20 years and an intact candlestick-type glass bottle. The coffin is decorated with mythological scenes-a winged Eros hunting a lion, and drunken Heracles holding a drinking vessel while riding a carriage driven by two centaurs-as well as geometric and floral motifs. Similar lead coffins are frequently found along the Israeli and Phoenician coast, and are known also from inland sites. The decorative motifs on the coffin, as well as the glass bottle, point to a date in the third century CE.