Prof. Dr. Győző Vörös (1972), Archaeologist and Architect, is an Academician Fellow and Research Director of the Hungarian Academy of Arts. Project Director of the Jordanian Department of Antiquities, Honorary Senior Research Fellow of Mississippi State University, Research Professor of the Pontifical University Faculty of Biblical Sciences and Archaeology (Studium Biblicum Franciscanum) in Jerusalem, Series Editor at Edizioni Terra Santa in Milan, and Set Designer of the Hungarian State Opera House. Director of the Hungarian Excavations in Egypt (Thoth Hill at Thebes: 1994–1998, Taposiris Magna at Alexandria: 1998–2004), in Cyprus (Lighthouse Hill in Nea Paphos: 2004–2009), and in Jordan (Mount Machaerus: 2009–). Recipient of the Knight’s Cross of the Hungarian Order of Merit (2016), Winner of the 2020 Prize of the Pontifical Academies in the Vatican, and Awardee of the Gold Medal of the Pontificate by Pope Francis (2021). He was the recipient of the "Best Scholarly Book on Archaeology" BAS Publication Award in 2021.
Spring Bible & Archaeology Fest 2022, April 2 – 3, 2022
Machaerus: Where Salome Danced and John the Baptist Was Beheaded
Both the Gospels and the Roman historian Josephus confirm that the first-century palace fortress of Machaerus, located on a prominent hill overlooking the Dead Sea in Jordan, was the site of John the Baptist’s imprisonment and execution. After its destruction by the Romans in 72 C.E., Machaerus was abandoned, its monumental ruins hidden under destroyed walls and debris, never to be occupied again. Now, after more than a decade of archaeological work, including the recovery of more than 100,000 building fragments, we are able to reconstruct the history and architecture of the magnificent Herodian palace of Machaerus, where Salome danced and John the Baptist was beheaded!