Adorned medieval mummies from ‘Āsi al-Hadath cave, Lebanon: a multicultural community?

Abstract

This paper investigates the personal adornment that was found in the medieval cave of ‘Āsi al-Hadath in Lebanon, which yielded a magnificent treasure from the second half of the thirteenth century. Indeed, several bodies lay there along with their belongings, all remarkably preserved. Historical sources reveal that this group belonged to the Maronite community. This paper attempts to address the identity of these individuals by studying the associated jewellery finds, thus adding new insights to this well-studied material.   On cover:Late Roman wall, the portion immediately south of the West Gate (Porta Oea) with re-used blocks from first-century mausolea (Drawing by Francesca Bigi) and Tombstone of Regina from South Shields (Arbeia) (Tyne and WearArchives and Museums/ Bridgeman Images). E-ISSN (online version) 2611-3686 ISSN (print version) 0065-0900