Based on studies of architectural elements uncovered at a mausoleum they discovered in 2007 at Herodium, about 15 kilometers south of Jerusalem, researchers have determined the structure was a lavish two-story building with a concave-conical roof.
“The location of the tomb coincides with the knowledge we have about the vow he made to be buried here,” Hebrew University archaeology professor Ehud Netzer, director of the excavations, told Ecumenical News International. He noted that the site was in the middle of the desert with no villages or town surrounding it. At that time Bethlehem, where Jesus was born, was a very small village, he said.
“In his genius way of thinking and building he brought here the idea of a huge countryside palace, a country club where all the elite of Jerusalem and Judea would come to entertain themselves. Once the site was known then it would be proper for him to be buried here,” said Netzer.
“The information we have from Jewish historian Josephus and the archaeological date we have discovered go hand in hand and show us that this is really the place where he intended to be buried, and revealing the tomb completes the archaeological research that this is the tomb where he is buried,” said Netzer. “We spent a year and a half studying all the archaeological elements and we can draw academically a restoration of the monument, which stands 25 meters high, as tall as an eight-story building.”
This monumental style ties in with what is known of Herod’s taste, noted Netzer. He believes Herod’s sarcophagus — or burial tomb — is among the remains uncovered in the edifice. In addition the excavations have found fragments of two additional sarcophagi believed to have belonged to members of Herod’s family.
Herod was the Roman-appointed king of Judea from 37 to 4 BC, who was renowned for his many monumental building projects, including the reconstruction of the Temple in Jerusalem, the palace at Masada, the harbor and city of Caesarea, as well as the palatial complex at Herodium. Herod appears in the Gospel of Matthew, chapter 2, in what is known as the Massacre of the Innocents where he is said to have ordered the killing of children at around the time of the birth of Jesus.
Netzer described Herodium, built on a man-made hill, as a country club of sorts with baths, gardens fed by pools and a 650-seat theatre. In the area known as the loggia, there is a type of VIP viewing and hospitality room, located at the top of the theatre. There researchers found wall paintings and plaster molding in a style not seen in Israel. The style is known to have existed in Rome and Campania in Italy around 15-10 BC. The archaeologists believe Herod brought artisans from Italy to do the work.
The palace was the largest of its kind in the Roman world of that time and must have attracted yearly hundreds, if not thousands, of guests, Netzer said. The mausoleum was deliberately destroyed by Jewish rebels who occupied the site during the First Jewish Revolt against the Romans in about AD 66. The Israeli archaeologist’s work is the cover story of the December issue of National Geographic magazine.
