174:). The courtyard of the building was surrounded by a solid wall and had a single and relatively narrow opening. At the opening threshold a rail was installed and on the sides of the opening niches were designed in the wall and in them was placed the blocking stone. This made it possible to safely close the place when not in use and store valuables inside. Only a joint effort could open the building's blocking stone, this prevented a single man enterring the place. It also made it possible to create a safe gathering place for the settlements' population, who could escape to a public house and shut themselves inside fortifying themselves against enemies.
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burial systems, round blocking stones that move on a rail and seal the opening, can be found. The stone was intentionally large and heavy, it needed a joint effort of several people to move it, making it difficult for grave robbers and vagabonds opening or breaking in. Tombs with such blocking stones
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tomb system. Even when the blocking stone is not present in the area, it is visible that the burial cave was sealed with a stone by the chippings of the edge of the cave opening. Burial caves of this type can be seen on the slopes of
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teaches that various objects can be used as a blocking stone in order to prevent impurity from leaving, but the main advantage of the stone is that it does not receive
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94:. There are common legends about special mechanisms for rolling the heavy blocking stones, but no evidence of such mechanisms has been found.
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Apart from a physical barrier preventing the entry of men and pests, the blocking stone had another purpose that was to prevent
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period, large rolling stones and rails for rolling them were discovered at the entrances of public buildings (such as
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The stone's purpose is to prevent from unwanted visitors and animals enterring the burial system.
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In many excavation sites in the Land of Israel, especially sites in the mountain area from the
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265:"קראו בכותר - ירושלים בימי בית ראשון : מקורות, סיכומים, פרשיות נבחרות וחומר עזר"
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Evidence of the use of blocking stones for security purposes can be found during the
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can be found in the Hurvat Midras, in a preserved burial cave on the "
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293:"חידושים בחקר עיר הקברים הנקרופוליס של ירושלים בשלהי ימי הבית השני"
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Klien, Eitan; Goldenberg, Gideon; Ganor, Amir; Hadad, Ilan (2019).
244:אבני גולל - עדויות ארכיאולוגיות לחוסר ביטחון ביהודה בתקופה הביזנטית
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163:, blocking stones were used to seal the rebels' hiding systems.
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is a method of blocking burial caves and other narrow openings.
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57:, square blocking stones are common in burial systems from the
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road" (6954), near its intersection with road 66 and in the
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Method of blocking burial caves and other narrow openings
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136:, Book of Taharah, Laws of Dead Impurity, Chapter 6).
148:Large blocking stone at the synagogue entrance in
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351:Israelite and Jewish archaeological artifacts
314:The Bornblum Eretz Israel Synagogues Website
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61:, adapted as a cork for the opening of the
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159:period in the Land of Israel. During the
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46:Blocking stone in Hurvat Midras (Israel)
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208:"עיר הקברים של ירושלים בימי הבית השני"
140:Blocking stones for security purposes
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263:Gonen, Rivka; Amit, David (1990).
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27:Blocking stones in burial caves
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120:Chapter 15, Mishniyot 8 - 9
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79:Second Temple period
128:, (see also Mishna
59:First Temple period
247:(in Hebrew). 1997.
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110:exiting the cave.
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161:Bar Kokhba revolt
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316:(in Hebrew)
114:, Tractate
112:The Mishnah
68:Kfar Shiloh
346:Bronze Age
335:Categories
320:2024-05-23
274:2024-03-31
217:2024-03-31
178:References
172:synagogues
341:Catacombs
168:Byzantine
105:impuriity
92:Jerusalem
63:rock-cut
310:"סוסיא"
53:In the
134:Rambam
116:Oholot
84:Jo'ara
296:(PDF)
157:Roman
150:Susya
130:Torah
125:ṭumah
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