Caiaphas Ossuary

The ossuary, or bone box of High Priest Caiaphas. The Jewish method of burial was thoroughly wash a body and then wrap it in linen strips placing a compound of aloes and myrrh and other dessicants between the wrappings and the body that would help in drawing out the moisture from the body. After approximately a year all the soft tissue would have decayed and the bones would then be gathered up and stored in a small chest called an ossuary. Most ossuaries were plain chests made of limestone, but for important persons, such as a High Priest, the chests were carved with designs and the name inscribed.