Ketef Hinnom

Ketef Hinnom is an archaeological cemetery site on the southwestern slope of ancient Jerusalem, best known for Iron Age burial caves. It gained international attention when tiny inscribed silver amulets were recovered there.

The site’s main highlight is the set of burial caves containing grave goods and the two silver scroll amulets bearing early Hebrew inscriptions; these scrolls include a version of the priestly blessing known from the Hebrew Bible. Excavations have produced pottery, bone remains and other artifacts that illustrate burial practices of the late Iron Age.

Archaeological work at Ketef Hinnom was conducted in the late 1970s under teams including Israeli archaeologist Gabriel Barkay, with finds dated to the late 7th and early 6th centuries BCE and associated with the First Temple period. The silver amulets are among the most important finds because of their early script and biblical content.

The site lies just outside the walls of Jerusalem’s Old City in the Hinnom Valley area, within the modern municipal boundary of Jerusalem and a short distance southwest of the Old City’s Jaffa Gate.

• Silver Scrolls: Excavations in 1979 produced two tiny inscribed silver amulets that contain the oldest known fragments of biblical text, dated to the late 7th or early 6th century BCE.
• Location detail: The site consists of rock-cut burial caves located close to the Old City of Jerusalem, in the Hinnom Valley, southwest of the ancient centre.