1,900-year-old decorated bronze discs highlight Roman burial culture in Holy Land

(JNS) — Four rare, 1,900-year-old rare bronze discs decorated with lion heads that were uncovered in southern Israel in the last decade offer evidence of Roman-period burial culture and belief in the afterlife, the Israel Antiquities Authority announced on Thursday.

The ornate discs, which were found in a grave during a 2018 excavation at Khirbat Ibreika in the Sharon region, were probably intended to be used to help carry a coffin, the state-run archaeological body said.

“Tracing the lion as a symbol in the ancient world reveals that in many cultures it represented strength, protection and no...