The Tomb of Absalom - First Century Jerusalem

Sketch of the Tomb of Absalom in the Second Temple Model of Jerusalem

The traditional site of Absalom's Tomb is located on the eastern slope of the Kidron Valley, on the east side of Jerusalem. Josephus wrote about this tomb, which existed in the first century A.D. (Antiquities vii. 10, 3). It stands twenty feet high and twenty-four feet square.

Archaeologists have determined that the shrine can be dated back to the first century A.D. It has been traditionally identified as the tomb of Absalom, the son of King David who led a rebellion against him.

Rebellious Children were taught in Judaism to throw stones at "Yad Avshalom" the shrine of Absalom to learn what rebellion leads to, ""if any one in Jerusalem has a disobedient child, he shall take him out to the Valley of Jehoshaphat, to Absalom's Monument, and force him, by words or stripes, to hurl stones at it, and to curse Absalom; meanwhile telling him the life and fate of that rebellious son.

Painting of a 19th Century Tomb of Absalom

Also see: Sketch of the Tomb of Absalom