The Beth She'arim necropolis holds a central place in the study of Jewish society in late antiquity. Its uniqueness lies in the number of graves, their variety, and the quality of the finds, which include many burial inscriptions in Aramaic and Greek, as well as artistic portrayals in stone and in relief. This rich inventory enables us to sketch in broader strokes the burial customs of the Jews in this period and the scope of influence of the surrounding world on them. This article suggests that the choice of a specific type of grave in Beth She'arim was determined by the socio-economic status of the deceased or his family. As such, it offers an opportunity to look at the social stratification of the Jews in late antiquity from a different perspective. The variety of graves and the basic structure of the necropolis were determined in the days of Rabbi Judah I or immediately after his death. Beth She'arim continued to function actively as the burial estate for the patriarchal family and its close circles, at least until the abolition of the Patriarchate in 429 C.E. It is difficult to determine exactly when burial ceased at Beth She'arim. It is clear that it did not end after the Gallus Revolt in the mid-fourth century, but continued on a large scale also in the fifth and sixth centuries. It seems, in fact, that the cessation of burial was not the result of a single event but rather a gradual process that came to a close some time at the end of the Byzantine period. It is also evident that when grave-robbers had penetrated the necropolis in the early Arab period, there was no one there to supervise the patriarchal cemetery, guard its treasures, or prevent destruction.