BIBLE HISTORY DAILY

Monumental Entryway to King Herod’s Palace at Herodium Excavated

Bible and archaeology news

herodium-corridor

Archaeologists excavating at Herodium have uncovered a monumental entryway to King Herod’s hilltop palace-fortress. Photo: The Herodium Expedition at the Hebrew University of Jerusalem.

Over the past year, archaeologists from The Hebrew University of Jerusalem’s Institute of Archaeology have been excavating a monumental entryway to King Herod’s hilltop palace-fortress at Herodium, 7.5 miles south of Jerusalem in Israel. The excavations at Herodium National Park are being carried out by the Herodium Expedition in Memory of Ehud Netzer, led by directors Yakov Kalman and Roi Porat with team architect Rachel Chachy.

Herod began construction of a grand palace-fortress for himself as king of Judea at Herodium in 28–27 B.C.E. The site would ultimately be his final resting place when he died in 4 B.C.E.

The entryway uncovered by the Herodium Expedition archaeologists is comprised of a corridor crowned with a series of arches. Measuring about 65 feet high, 65 feet long and 20 feet wide, the corridor would have provided direct access to the courtyard of the hilltop palace-fortress.


Click here for a collection of eminent Herodium excavator Ehud Netzer’s BAR articles on the site, available online for free.


 

herodium

King Herod began construction at Herodium in 28–27 B.C.E. Photo: Duby Tal.

According to the excavators, it appears that this corridor was never actually used. The excavators believe the corridor was backfilled in the process of turning the entire hilltop complex into a massive royal burial mound when Herod became aware of his imminent death. According to Jewish historian Josephus, he was buried at Herodium—but the specific location of his burial has been debated.

The Herodium Expedition archaeologists also discovered hidden tunnels dug into the corridor by Jewish rebels during the Bar Kokhba Revolt (132–135/6 C.E.) against the Romans. The rebels used Herodium as their administrative and military base during the short-lived revolt.

The excavations at the palace-fortress are part of a larger project to prepare and develop Herodium for tourism. According to Shaul Goldstein, Director of Israel’s Nature and Parks Authority, in the future, visitors will be able to walk through the grand arched corridor to the hilltop palace-fortress as originally conceived by Herod.

Read The Hebrew University of Jerusalem press release for more information.


Which finds made our top 10 Biblical archaeology discoveries of 2014? Find out >>


 

More on Herodium in Bible History Daily:

Ehud Netzer Publications Available to Public

Herodium: The Tomb of King Herod Revisited

Herod the Great—The King’s Final Journey


 


3 Responses

  1. Aantekeningen bij de Bijbel · Livius Nieuwsbrief – Januari says:

    […] Jeruzalem, het dieet van kopermijnwerkers, Rosh Ha-‘Ayin, negen snippers van de Dode Zee-rollen, Herodion, gedoe op de Tempelberg plus wat een bijbels filoloog zoal niet […]

  2. Livius Nieuwsbrief | Januari | Mainzer Beobachter says:

    […] het dieet van kopermijnwerkers, Rosh Ha-‘Ayin, negen snippers van de Dode Zee-rollen, Herodion, gedoe op de Tempelberg plus wat een bijbels filoloog zoal niet […]

  3. Historical Discovery #4 — Entryway to King Herod’s Palace | CHRISTIANITYWEBSITE.COM says:

    […] http://www.biblicalarchaeology.org/daily/biblical-sites-places/biblical-archaeology-sites/monumental… […]

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3 Responses

  1. Aantekeningen bij de Bijbel · Livius Nieuwsbrief – Januari says:

    […] Jeruzalem, het dieet van kopermijnwerkers, Rosh Ha-‘Ayin, negen snippers van de Dode Zee-rollen, Herodion, gedoe op de Tempelberg plus wat een bijbels filoloog zoal niet […]

  2. Livius Nieuwsbrief | Januari | Mainzer Beobachter says:

    […] het dieet van kopermijnwerkers, Rosh Ha-‘Ayin, negen snippers van de Dode Zee-rollen, Herodion, gedoe op de Tempelberg plus wat een bijbels filoloog zoal niet […]

  3. Historical Discovery #4 — Entryway to King Herod’s Palace | CHRISTIANITYWEBSITE.COM says:

    […] http://www.biblicalarchaeology.org/daily/biblical-sites-places/biblical-archaeology-sites/monumental… […]

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