Al-Bass Phoenician Cemetery at Tyre
The cemetery offers direct evidence of burial practices in the Phoenician city of Tyre. The urns and grave goods help researchers understand cremation, commemorative customs, and connections within the community during the Iron Age.
About the Discovery
The Al-Bass cemetery lay on an ancient beach across from the island city of Tyre. Excavations uncovered hundreds of burial urns containing cremated human remains. Some burials included pairs of urns, small pottery jugs, jewelry, and protective amulets. Groups of graves were used over time, giving archaeologists clues about family and community burial practices.
Excavations conducted by a Spanish-Lebanese team beginning in 1997 revealed a major burial ground used from about the end of the tenth through the seventh century BC. These graves tell us about the lives and customs of people in Phoenician Tyre, not just its rulers. The cemetery does not identify any particular biblical person.
Scripture Reference
2 Samuel 5:11; 1 Kings 5:1–12; Ezekiel 26–28 (background passages concerning Tyre; none describes this cemetery).