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Monolith-2 is located next to Monolith-1. The two structures were carved from the lower escarpment of the upper ridge, and the formation of one probably lead to the construction of the other. Today, both monoliths are incorporated into larger domestic structures built above them (Image-1 and Image-2). Only the façade and one wall, to the south, are visible. The entrance is partially destroyed and currently bricked in, but it still bears an inscription engraved above it. This inscription was not visible when Charles Clermont-Ganneau first visited Silwan in 1870 due to an extension that was built on the house, covering the original façade. The architectural feature is visible in some 19th and early 20th century photographs. In 1947, Adolf Reifenberg noted that the extension had been removed and was able to document the Paleo-Hebrew inscription that had formerly been covered. Reifenberg referred to the former-tomb as the "house of Abu-Adnan" based on the name of the homeowner at that time.
Image 1. The façade of Monolith-2 in 2017 showing the original entrance and area of the inscription (photograph by M. Suriano)
Monolith-2 was probably cube shaped like Monolith-3. Additionally, based on the height of the ridge line behind the structure, it is estimated that the tomb once had a decorated roof similar to Monolith-3. The roof would have been either pyramidal or gabled.
The monolithic-tomb’s façade was excavated in the late-1960s by David Ussishkin as part of his larger survey of the Silwan necropolis. He was unable to examine its interior, which had been converted into a cistern. In Ussishkin’s survey, the monolith is catalogued: Silwan Tomb 34.
Image 2. The position of the monoliths next to each other. Image adapted from Ussishkin (1986 and 1993).
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