300px|thumb|The [[Tomb of Benei Hezir and the so-called Tomb of Zechariah, Kidron Valley, Jerusalem]]
thumb|Detail of the [[Tomb of Benei Hezir]]
The use of rock-cut cave tombs in the region of ancient Israel began in the early Canaanite period, from 3100–2900 BCE. The custom lapsed a millennium, however, before re-emerging in the earliest Israelite tombs, dating to the 9th century BCE in Jerusalem. The use of rock-cut tombs reached its peak in the 8th and 7th centuries BCE, before rapidly declining and eventually falling out of use in the 6th century BCE in some regions. It reappeared during the Second Temple period and continued into the Late Roman and Byzantine periods.
Use of the tombs has been recorded as recently as the late Roman period around the 3rd century CE.
The use of such tombs was generally reserved for the middle- and upper-classes, and each typically belonged to a single nuclear or extended family.
In the Hebrew Bible
Genesis
A number of rock-cut tombs are mentioned in the Bible. Possibly the first, called "Cave of Machpelah", was purchased by Abraham for Sarah from Ephron the Hittite (). Traditionally, this tomb, which may have been either a rock-cut or a natural cave, is identified with the Cave of the Patriarchs in modern Hebron. According to very old traditions, Abraham, Isaac and Rebekah, Jacob and Leah were also buried there (). The New Testament reaffirms this tradition: "Their (Jacob and his family) bodies were brought back to Shechem and placed in the tomb that Abraham had bought from the sons of Hamor at Shechem for a certain sum of money" ().
Judges through Kings
Rock-cut tombs are also mentioned in the Book of Judges (), the Second Book of Samuel (), and the Second Books of Kings ().
Bronze Age precursors: Early Canaanite tombs
Early Canaanite I (3100–2900 BCE) period tombs are the earliest rock-cut tombs yet discovered in Israel; several have been found beneath the Ophel in Jerusalem. The custom had lapsed by the second millennium.
Iron Age: First Temple period
Further information: Architecture of ancient Israel#Funerary architecture
Jerusalem
Rock-cut tombs from the late First Temple period have been discovered in several locations in Jerusalem, the capital city of the Kingdom of Judah. These include the Silwan necropolis, Ketef Hinnom, the Garden Tomb, and St. Etienne.
Silwan Necropolis
thumb|right|Remnants of the [[Monolith of Silwan, a First Temple period tomb.]]
thumb|The so-called [[The Garden Tomb|Garden Tomb (9th–7th century BCE)]]
The Silwan necropolis, the most important cemetery of the First Temple period, is located in the Kidron Valley across from the City of David, in the lower part of the ridge where the village of Silwan now stands.
David Ussishkin wrote that the architecture of the tombs and the manner of burial is different "from anything known from contemporary Palestine. Elements such as entrances located high above the surface, gabled ceilings, straight ceilings with a cornice, trough-shaped resting-places with pillows, above-ground tombs, and inscriptions engraved on the facade appear only here."
Primary burials
At the beginning of the Hasmonean period, under the influence of Hellenistic burial customs from Marisa, members of the elite were buried in wooden coffins inside shafts known in Latin as loculi and in Hebrew as kokhim. but predominantly to the north and south of the city. The tombs extend as far as 7 km from the city walls, with the more prestigious tombs located close to the city. Its popular name stuck in spite of another tomb near the Damascus Gate being long considered as the actual funerary tower of Herod's family,
Most researchers concur that these tombs date from the same period as the Jerusalem tombs that were served as a model for replication, however, Magen thinks otherwise: in his opinion, the visible difference in the quality of the design and carving between the tombs indicates a chronological gap between them, and therefore he suggests dating the tombs of West Samaria and the Western Hebron Hills later than the Jerusalem tombs, at the end of the first century or the beginning of the second century. Magen also raised the possibility that their hewing is connected to the flight of Jewish craftsmen to Samaria and the Hebron Hills with the beginning of the siege of Jerusalem and perhaps even a little earlier, when the construction enterprises in the city began to dwindle and many quarrymen were left without employment.
Proposed candidates for the tomb include the rock-cut chamber inside the Church of the Holy Sepulchre, the Talpiot Tomb, and the Garden Tomb.
Late Roman and Byzantine periods
Beit She'arim
thumb|Facade of the "Cave of the Coffins", Beit She'arim National Park
The ruins of Beit She'arim (Sheikh Abrekh in Arabic) in the Galilee preserve a vast necropolis with catacombs containing a large number of rock-cut Jewish tombs from the late 2nd to 6th centuries CE. The ancient city of Besara, today known as Beit She'arim, was located near what is now the modern town of Tiv'on. According to various sources, it was one of the most highly desired burial places for Jews in the ancient world, second only to the Mount of Olives in its desirability. This prestige is attributed to Beit She'arim being named as the burial place of Yehuda HaNasi (Judah the Prince).
Layout
Second Temple through Late Roman periods
Tombs included a dromos, or entry-way, through which the tomb was accessed via a descending staircase. Some tombs possess elaborate facades, with the tombs of Be'it She'arim being well known for this feature. Others, such as those outside of Jericho, had simple exteriors with a rectangular blocking stone or mudbrick.