Necromancy May Have Been Practiced at Cave Site in Israel

JERUSALEM, ISRAEL—According to a Vice report, Eitan Klein of the Israel Antiquities Authority and Boaz Zissu of Bar-Ilan University suggest that people may have used Israel’s Te’omim Cave for cultic magic rituals some 2,000 years ago. Similar to other cave shrines from the Late Roman period, Te’omim Cave features a deep shaft and a flowing spring that accumulates in a rock-cut pool. Ceramic and glass bowls, an ax head, and daggers have been recovered from the cave, in addition to more than 120 intact oil lamps and three human skulls discovered in its deep crevices. No other human remains have been found at the site. The researchers think Te’omim Cave may have been believed to be a portal to the underworld, and that the objects may have been placed there for ritual purposes, perhaps related to predicting the future and communicating with the spirits of the dead, as described in ancient texts. To read about another discovery from Te'omim Cave, go to "Herod's Fancy Fixtures."