11 ancient burial boxes unveiled in Israel after theft recovery operation

JERUSALEM – The Israeli Antiquities Authority has unveiled 11 ancient burial boxes that were confiscated by police in an overnight raid last week.

Officials said Monday the boxes are 2,000 years old. Some are engraved with designs and even names, giving clues to their origin and contents. The boxes contain bone fragments and remnants of what experts say is pottery buried with the deceased.

The authority says the boxes were recovered last Friday in Jerusalem when police observed a suspicious nighttime transaction involving two cars, four individuals and the 11 boxes. Once police realized the boxes were of archaeological significance, they alerted the Antiquities Authority. It is unclear how the suspects got hold of the boxes.

The ossuaries are believed to originate from the Second Temple Period in the Jerusalem area.