Stone Vessels in the Late Second Temple in Israel

Vessels made of stone have always occupied a prominent position among the artifacts used by man. Such vessels were used mainly for grinding and pounding, and were fashioned out of hard limestone or basalt. The material culture of the Second Temple Period (1) was marked by the appearance of a different type of stone vessel, made of both white and bituminous chalk (a soft limestone). 

Stone vessels in use during the Second Temple period, connects the wide dispersal of these artifacts with the increased strictness of observance of the laws of purity and defilement in the Halakah, which is the entire body of Jewish law and tradition, comprising the laws of the Bible and the oral law as transcribed in the legal section of the Talmud (2). This characterized the way of life of the ancient community of Israel. The stone vessels, according to the requirements of the Halakhah (3), were divided into four areas or 'gates'. 

THE GATE OF RITUAL: 

The Holy Temple of the Jews was the principal factor for purity obligations, which were required not only within the Temple itself but also in an individual's everyday life. The use of stone vessels, which did not become defiled, had great importance, especially in connection with the service of the Priests of the Temple. (4) 

THE GATE OF THE LIVING: 

Whereas preservation of the Temple from impurity was entrusted to the Priests (5); the task of strengthening the foundations of purity and keeping impure factors out of the Temple was given over to laymen, the ordinary Israelites themselves. It follows, therefore, that strictness in observing Halakhah penetrated into the everyday life of the individual; one manifestation of this care being the widespread use of stone vessels in the home of the Jewish family. The stone vessels join a long list of other evidence regarding this impurity of matter. Another example is the elimination of figurative or animal motifs on mosaics, wall paintings, ossuaries, and vessels. 

THE GATE OF THE DECEASED: