Researchers think the morbid practice originated with pagan people who settled in the region after the Romans drove out the Jews.
Ancient human skulls, oil lamps and parts of weapons hidden in a cave near Jerusalem are signs the site was used in the Roman era for attempts to speak to the dead — a practice known as necromancy, or"death magic" — according to a new study.
The Romans then repopulated the region with people from other parts of their empire — likely from Syria, Anatolia and Egypt, Zissu said."A new pagan population arrived in what had formerly been Judea, but was now Syria Palaestina," Zissu told Live Science."They brought with them new ideas, new customs, and apparently the idea of necromancy."
During the excavations, the researchers discovered three hoards of gold and silver coins from that time. A seam of rare calcite alabaster rock deep within the cave had also been quarried at some point, perhaps to create valuable artworks. "There they found perfect conditions," Zissu said."it's a bit remote, but not so far from the main road; it's deep, but not very deep; and it has a deep shaft at the end that they regarded as a connection to the underworld."
related stories—When the Romans turned Jerusalem into a pagan city, Jews revolted and minted this coin—3,300-year-old cave 'frozen in time' from reign of Ramesses II uncovered in Israel
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