Excavations beneath Holy Sepulchre confirm ancient funerary landscape at tomb site

Archaeologists from La Sapienza University of Rome have uncovered an ancient funerary landscape beneath the Church of the Holy Sepulchre in Jerusalem, including evidence of a garden with vines and olive trees, coin caches, and what may be Constantine's original circular tomb marker directly beneath the existing shrine. The findings strengthen the archaeological case that Emperor Constantine's 4th-century identification of the site aligns with the New Testament accounts describing a rock-cut tomb in a garden outside the city walls. For readers examining the historical foundations of Christian faith, the excavation adds physical context to the burial and resurrection narrative that stands at the centre of the biblical story of redemption.