A Wooden Coffin from the Incense Road and Other Wooden Coffins from Southern Israel

In 2022, a hewn tomb was discovered along the course of the Nabataean Incense Road, c. 2 km northwest of the ancient site of 'Avedat (Oboda) in the Negev Highlands of southern Israel.The excavation of the grave revealed the remains of a wooden coffin from the Roman period, in the second or third centuries CE.Although wooden coffins have been uncovered elsewhere in the region, this coffin is the first of its kind to be discovered along the Incense Road.This article presents the coffin and discusses its historical and archaeological context, as well as the distribution of wooden coffins in southern Israel, their origin and use.