King
Herod the Great's Tomb Unearthed
May 6, 1907
JERUSALEM
-- An ancient staircase used in a royal funeral procession led an
Israeli archaeologist to solve a 2,000-year-old mystery, the location
of the tomb of the Roman-anointed "King of the Jews," Herod
the Great.
Hebrew
University archaeologist Ehud Netzer said on Tuesday he had found the
sarcophagus of the king, who ruled Judea from about 37 BC until his
death in 4 BC, had been smashed, most likely by Jews who rebelled
against Rome from 66 to 72 AD.
Speaking
at a news conference a day after the university announced the
discovery, Netzer said the monarch's remains most likely disappeared
when the rebels raided the tomb at Herodium, where Herod's fortress
palace once stood, near Jerusalem.
Herod
has a special place in biblical history.
He
rebuilt the Jewish Temple in Jerusalem and the Gospel of Matthew says
he ordered the "Massacre of the Innocents", the killing of
male infants in Jesus's birthplace of Bethlehem out of fear of losing
his throne to a new "king of the Jews".
Netzer
had searched for Herod's tomb at Herodium for about 30 years. Herod,
born in around 74 BC, had chosen to be buried at the desert fortress
he built around 23 BC and which he used as a summer palace.
The
burial site, in what is now the Israeli-occupied West Bank, was found
more than a month ago at the end of an ancient staircase leading up
to the hilltop, Netzer said.
"The monumental stairs were built specifically for the funeral," Netzer said.
Ancient
Jewish historian Falavius Josephus had written that Herod's funeral
procession began from the city of Jericho and was attended by
hundreds of his guards and servants.
Earlier
digs had focused on other parts of Herodium, including a "tomb
estate", remnants of two buildings and a large ritual bath, that
originally had been chosen as a burial site.
Netzer
and his team concluded the tomb they unearthed, estimated to have
been about 2.5 meters (8 feet) long, was Herod's because of its
lavish design. One of the limestone remnants possessed a flower-like
pattern. No bones were found.
"It
was not a sarcophagus that rolled around on the streets, was common
or which anyone could afford during the era," Netzer said.
"There are only one or two of its kind."
A second article on this discovery:
The archaeologist who located King Herod's tomb at Herodium said Tuesday
that the grave had been desecrated, apparently shortly after his
death, but called the discovery a "high point."
The
Hebrew University of Jerusalem announced Monday night that it has
uncovered the grave and tomb of Herod, who ruled Judea for the Roman
empire from circa 37 BCE.
Professor
Ehud Netzer of the university's Institute of Archaeology told
reporters Tuesday that the tomb was discovered when a team of
researchers found pieces of a limestone sarcophagus believed to
belong to the ancient king.
Although
there were no bones in the container, he said the sarcophagus'
location and ornate appearance indicated it was Herod's.
"It's
a sarcophagus we don't just see anywhere," Netzer said. "It
is something very special."
Netzer
led the team, though he said he was not on the site when the
sarcophagus was found.
He
said the sarcophagus had been smashed into pieces, most likely by
someone seeking revenge on Herod during the great Jewish rebellion of
66-72 CE.
"The
discovery of the grave is the high point in the excavation at the
site," said Netzer.
The
professor, who is considered one of the leading experts on King
Herod, has conducted archeological digs at Herodium since 1972 in an
attempt to locate the grave and tomb.
The
discovery solves one of Israel's greatest archeological mysteries.
The
majority of researchers had believed that Herod was in fact buried at
Herodium, based on the writings of the ancient Jewish historian
Flavius Josephus, but multiple excavations at the site failed to
locate the grave.
Netzer's
successful dig focused on a different part of the site than previous
excavations, between the upper part of Herodium and the site's two
palaces.
Herodium,
a fortified palace built by Herod some 12 kilometers south of
Jerusalem, was destroyed by the Romans in 71 CE.
Herod,
whose father and grandfather converted to Judaism, was appointed
governor of Galilee at the age of 25 and was made "King of the
Jews" by the Roman senate in approximately 40 BCE. He remained
king for around 34 years.
Herod,
also known as Herod the Great, is credited with expanding the Second
Temple and building Caesarea, Masada, and many other monumental
construction projects. He died in the year 4 BCE in Jericho after a
long illness.
Herod
decided to construct his tomb at Herodium because the site played a
role in two dramatic events in his life. In the year 43 BCE, when
Herod was still governor of the Galilee, he was forced to flee
Jerusalem along with his family after his enemies the Parthians laid
siege to the city.
His
mother's chariot flipped over near Herodium, and Herod became
hysterical until he realized she was only lightly wounded. A short
while later, the Parthians caught up to Herod and his entourage,
although Herod and his men emerged victorious in the ensuing battle.
At
Herodium, Herod built one of the largest monarchical complexes in the
Roman Empire, which served as a residential palace, a sanctuary, an
administrative center and a mausoleum. Herod first built an
artificial cone-shaped hill that could be seen from Jerusalem, on
which he constructed a fortified palace surrounded by watchtowers
that he used solely in wartime.
At
the base of the hill, he built an additional palace, which was the
size of a small town and known as "Lower Herodium." The
palace included many buildings, fancy gardens, pools, stables, and
storage areas.
Herod
spared no expense in an attempt to turn the site into a regional gem,
bringing water from Solomon's Pools and special soil to allow his
gardens to blossom in the heart of the desert.
Following
Herod's death, his son and heir Archilaus continued to reside and
Herodium. After Judea became a Roman province, the site served as a
center for Roman prefects.
With
the outbreak of the Great Revolt, Herodium was seized by the rebels,
but then handed over without resistance to the Romans following the
fall of Jerusalem in 70 CE.
Fifty
years later, Herodium was also used by the rebels during the Bar
Kokhva revolt, but was abandoned thereafter.
In
the 5th century CE, the site was settled by Byzantine monks, and then
served as a leper colony before being finally abandoned in the 7th
century CE.
The
first archeological dig at the site, between the years 1956 and 1962,
was conducted by a Franciscan monk and revealed most of the
currently-known remains. Israel began excavations at the site in
1972, several years after its capture during the Six-Day War.