The name of the deceased was often inscribed on the ossuary after it was decorated. In most cases, it was done by the family members and not by a professional engraver. This explains the poor quality of the inscription as compared with the decoration.

On the ossuary displayed here, the name Joseph, son of Caiaphas, was engraved twice, once on the side of the ossuary and once on its back. It is quite likely that this is indeed the ossuary of Joseph Caiaphas, the high priest from the Second Temple, known to us from the Christian Gospels as the man who arrested Jesus and handed him over to the Roman authorities.

Thousands of ossuaries have been found around Jerusalem. They were carved in soft limestone quarried in the mountains around the city. The one displayed here is elaborately decorated with the common Jewish motifs of the period: rosettes, vines, geometric designs and lilies.