Archaeologists working near the ancient fortress of Hyrcania in the Judean Desert have uncovered a 2,200-year-old stepped pyramid structure atop a burial chamber. Likely dating to the Hasmonean period (2nd century BCE), the pyramid measures about 32 feet tall and was built with white ashlar limestone blocks. The monument capped a shaft leading to a rock-cut burial chamber that had been looted in antiquity. Inscriptions on nearby mosaic floors mention the names of two prominent Jewish figures ...
