Burial Cave From Reign of Ramses II Discovered on Israel’s Mediterranean Coast

An untouched 3,300-year-old burial cave was discovered near the Mediterranean Sea coast in Israel. The discovery of the cave, filled with items that date to the Late Bronze Age, close to or during the reign of Ramses II, was made last week but announced by the Israel Antiquities Authority on Sunday. It was found during the construction of a new park on the beach at Kibbutz Palmachim when a tractor moved a rock to reveal the cave, making an inspector for the Nature and Parks Authority the first person to get a peek at the cave, which does not appear to have been disturbed. Ramses II is believed to be the Egyptian pharaoh in the biblical book of Exodus who suffered the 10 plagues because he refused to release his kingdom’s Hebrew slaves. Israeli archaeologists found intact pottery and bronze vessels, including cooking pots and oil lamps, and an area to lay out the bodies. Little has been discovered about the family or clan that used the cave.