Robebus Chapel Crypt Burials

Abstract

The Robebus Chapel at Mount Nebo was revealed in 1981 and its crypts excavated from 2007 to 2011. The earliest interments were supine and articulated, while the bones of later depositions were disarticulated, commingled, and frequently broken. Postdepositional tool modification occurred on seven crania and on the ribs of one of the estimated seventy-three adult males interred. The accessibility to the crypts provided a means for monastics to view the decomposition sequence and anatomy, which provided useful knowledge in their capacity as physical as well as spiritual healers. Decomposition, reintegration, recombination, removal, and modification with tools were part of the funerary cycle that produced increased fragmentation over time. This fragmentation corresponded to increased competitive relic acquisition, international pilgrimage, and Mount Nebo’s role as a physical and spiritual healing center. N.B.: Images of human bones.