Matzevah

For other uses, see Bereavement in Judaism.

Matzevah or masseba[1] (Hebrew: מַצֵּבָה maṣṣēḇā; "pillar") or stele (Greek: στήλην stílin) in the Septuagint, is a term used in the Hebrew Bible for a sacred pillar, a type of standing stone. The term has been adopted by archaeologists for Israelite and related contexts, such as the Canaanite and the Nabataean ones. Massebot can also mark graves.

Ras Macalister found a circle of ten or more massebot in his work in Gezer
  1. ^ Oxford Biblical Studies Online, Oxford University Press. Accessed 14 February 2022.