Israeli cave researcher Boaz Langford inspecting a cave August 2, 2009 in the Judean Hills, Israel, where 120 gold, silver and bronze coins were found.Boaz Zissu/The Hebrew University via Getty Images Israeli researchers discovered possible evidence of "ritual magic" in a deep cave in the Judaean hills. Human skulls were arranged in patterns near oil lamps, with daggers and axe heads nearby. The artifacts are thought to be necromancer tools, as caves were considered portals to the underworld. Hidden deep in Te'omim Cave in Jerusalem, researchers have discovered evidence of ritual magic practices dating back to antiquity — with human skulls and daggers pointing to dark ceremonies where necromancers may have attempted to conjure the spirits of the dead.In a new study for Harvard Theological Review published by Cambridge University Press, researchers from the Israel Antiquities Authority and Bar-Ilan University detailed the results of over a decade of study on 120 oil lamps that were found in the cave within the Judaean hills, which date back to the late Roman to early Byzantine period, or late second to fourth centuries CE.