I had to stop reading when it said the church of the Sepulchre had become a Mecca for Christian tourists.
Jesus wept.
well, who is making the money this time around? Religion finds are always worth a few bucks...
IIRC, the first Christian Roman emperor, Constantine’s mother converted to Christianity and travelled to Jerusalem to see where all the things happened that were related in the gospels.
She inquired about the place of the Crucifixion and Christ’s tomb and was led to the place where she established the now famous Church of the Holy Sepulchre.............IIRC.........
The “true tomb” has been found more often than the frequently found Noah’s arc. If you believe all the stories in the tabloids over the years, of course.
From the article: “The evidence goes beyond parallels to the Bible. One particular chamber had been obstructed by a Roman structure built during Emperor Hadrian’s reign in the second century.”
Hadrian built many pagan temples over Christian sites to obscure Christianity.
Joseph: “It’s just for the weekend”.
Well, duh!
How exciting is this, eh? Having worked twice in Israel, and having seen two -- step right up! -- tombs, now tourists and residents alike can choose between three! Heady stuff, eh?
It is interesting that the NY Post re-reports the Daily Mail, and the Daily Mail is "M+Exclusive" paywalled.
Meanwhile, the supposed original article, "Francesca Romana Stasolla et alii -- Archaeological excavations in the Holy Sepulchre, Jerusalem: 2025 preliminary report (pp. 619-716)," isn't nearly so exciting, nor definitive.
Tombs were reusable. After a while bones are transferred to a small box and buried.