King Herod's tomb found

[GA Russell]

Here is the AP report.

I had no idea that he was the king for 70 years. This is the same King Herod who met with the three Wise Men, and ordered all the children of Bethlehem to be killed.

JERUSALEM — An Israeli archaeologist has found the tomb of King Herod, the legendary builder of ancient Jerusalem and the Holy Land, Hebrew University said late Monday.

The tomb is at a site called Herodium, a flattened hilltop in the Judean Desert, clearly visible from southern Jerusalem. Herod built a palace on the hill, and researchers discovered his burial site there, the university said.

The university had hoped to keep the find a secret until Tuesday, when it planned a news conference to disclose the find in detail, but the Haaretz newspaper found out about the discovery and published an article on its Web site.

Herod became the ruler of the Holy Land under the Romans around 74 B.C. The wall he built around the Old City of Jerusalem still stands, and he also ordered big construction projects in Caesaria, Jericho, the hilltop fortress of Massada and other sites.

It has long been assumed Herod was buried at Herodium, but decades of excavations had failed to turn up the site. The 1st century historian Josephus Flavius described the tomb and Herod's funeral procession.

Haaretz said the tomb was found by archaeologist Ehud Netzer, a Hebrew University professor who has been working at Herodium since 1972. The paper said the tomb was in a previously unexplored area between the two palaces Herod built on the site. Herod died in 4 B.C. in Jericho.

Herodium was one of the last strong points held by Jewish rebels fighting against the Romans, and it was conquered and destroyed by Roman troops in A.D. 71, a year after they destroyed the Second Temple in Jerusalem.

[7/4]

Was he buried with his B3 & ES335? Did they find that too?

[White Lightning]

Here is the AP report.

I had no idea that he was the king for 70 years. This is the same King Herod who met with the three Wise Men, and ordered all the children of Bethlehem to be killed.

Wasn't he dead for 4 years when Jesus was born?

[White Lightning]

Was he buried with his B3 & ES335? Did they find that too?

More likely with his Rhodes.

[Guy Berger]

Here is the AP report.

I had no idea that he was the king for 70 years. This is the same King Herod who met with the three Wise Men, and ordered all the children of Bethlehem to be killed.

He wasn't king for 70 years -- that's a mistake in the article. (The Romans weren't ruling Judea in 74 BC either.)

FWIW, I don't think there is a historical basis for the claim that he ordered all the children of Bethlehem to be killed.

Guy

[White Lightning]

Here is the AP report.

I had no idea that he was the king for 70 years. This is the same King Herod who met with the three Wise Men, and ordered all the children of Bethlehem to be killed.

He wasn't king for 70 years -- that's a mistake in the article. (The Romans weren't ruling Judea in 74 BC either.)

Herod was born in 74 BC. I believe his reign lasted 30 years

[GA Russell]

Here is the AP report.

I had no idea that he was the king for 70 years. This is the same King Herod who met with the three Wise Men, and ordered all the children of Bethlehem to be killed.

Wasn't he dead for 4 years when Jesus was born?

WL, Jesus is believed to have been born in 6 B.C.

The monk who created the modern calendar miscalculated.

[rostasi]

WL, Jesus is believed to have been born in 6 B.C.

The monk who created the modern calendar miscalculated.

Does this mean that it's really 2013 now?

I suddenly feel much older.

[Robert J]

They also unearthed the image of Herod in the tomb:

[GA Russell]

WL, Jesus is believed to have been born in 6 B.C.

The monk who created the modern calendar miscalculated.

Does this mean that it's really 2013 now?

Yes. I remember thinking at the time that the people who believed that the end of the world would come in the year 2000 should have been worried in 1994!

[Adam]

Here is the official news release from Hebrew University.

The Herod in question most assuredly did not reign for 70 years. There a Herod, and then another Herod.

News Release

_____________________________________________________

The Hebrew University of Jerusalem האוניברסיטה העברית בירושלים

Tomb of King Herod discovered at Herodium

by Hebrew University archaeologist

Jerusalem, May 8, 2007 -- The long search for Herod the Great’s tomb has ended with the exposure of the remains of his grave, sarcophagus and mausoleum on Mount Herodium’s northeastern slope, Prof. Ehud Netzer of the Hebrew University of Jerusalem Institute of Archaeology announced today.

Herod was the Roman-appointed king of Judea from 37 to 4 BCE, who was renowned for his many monumental building projects, including the reconstruction of the Temple in Jerusalem, the palace at Masada, as well as the complex at Herodium, 15 kilometers south of Jerusalem. .

Herodium is the most outstanding among King Herod’s building projects. This is the only site that carries his name and the site where he chose to be buried and to memorialize himself -- all of this with the integration of a huge, unique palace at the fringe of the desert, said Prof. Netzer. Therefore, he said, the exposure of his tomb becomes the climax of this site’s research.

The approach to the burial site - which has been described by the archaeologists involved as one of the most striking finds in Israel in recent years - was via a monumental flight of stairs (6.5 meters wide) leading to the hillside that were especially constructed for the funeral procession.

The excavations on the slope of the mountain, at whose top is the famed structure comprised of a palace, a fortress and a monument, commenced in August 2006. The expedition, on behalf of the Institute of Archaeology of the Hebrew University of Jerusalem, was conducted by Prof. Netzer, together with Yaakov Kalman and Roi Porath and with the participation of local Bedouins.

The location and unique nature of the findings, as well as the historical record, leave no doubt that this was Herod’s burial site, said Prof. Netzer.

The mausoleum itself was almost totally dismantled in ancient times. In its place remained only part of its well built podium, or base, built of large white ashlars (dressed stone) in a manner and size not previously revealed at Herodium.

Among the many high quality architectural elements, mostly well decorated, which were spread among the ruins, is a group of decorated urns (made in the form of special jars that were used to store body ashes). Similar ones are to be found on the top of burial monuments in the Nabatean world. The urns had a triangular cover and were decorated on the sides.

Spread among the ruins are pieces of a large, unique sarcophagus (close to 2.5 meters long), made of a Jerusalemite reddish limestone, which was decorated by rosettes. The sarcophagus had a triangular cover, which was decorated on its sides. This is assumed with certainty to be the sarcophagus of Herod. Only very few similar sarcophagi are known in the country and can be found only in elaborate tombs such as the famous one at the King’s Tomb on Selah a-Din Street in East Jerusalem. Although no inscriptions have been found yet at Herodium, neither on the sarcophagus nor in the building remains, these still might be found during the continuation of the dig.

Worthy of note is the fact that the sarcophagus was broken into hundreds of pieces, no doubt deliberately. This activity, including the destruction of the monument, apparently took place in the years 66-72 C.E. during the first Jewish revolt against the Romans, while Jewish rebels took hold of the site, according to Josephus and the archaeological evidence. The rebels were known for their hatred of Herod and all that he stood for, as a “puppet ruler” for the Romans.

The search for Herod’s tomb, which actively began 30 years ago, focused until the middle of 2006 at Lower Herodium, in an area which was, no doubt, especially built for the funeral and burial of the king - the “Tomb Estate.” In order to reveal there the remains from Herod’s days, the expedition was “forced” to first expose a large complex of Byzantine structures (including a church), an effort that demanded many years of digging.

The Tomb Estate included two monumental buildings and a large ritual bath (mikveh) as well as the large route (350 meters long and 30 meters wide) which was prepared for the funeral. When no sign of the burial place itself was found within the Tomb Estate, the expedition started to search for it on the slope of the hill, although there seems to be no doubt that the initial intention of the king was to be buried in the estate and that only in a later stage of his life - apparently when he grew old - did he change his mind and asked to be buried within the artificial cone which gave the hill of Herodium its current volcano-shape.

The main historical source of the Second Temple’s days, the historian Josephus Flavius, has described the site of Herodium in detail, as well as the funeral in the year 4 BCE, but not the tomb proper. He wrote as follows:

“The king’s funeral next occupied his attention. Archelaus, omitting nothing that could contribute to its magnificence, brought forth all the royal ornaments to accompany the procession in honor of the deceased. The bier was of solid gold, studded with precious stones, and had a covering of purple, embroidered with various colors; on this lay the body enveloped in purple robe, a diadem encircling the head and surmounted by a crown of gold, the scepter beside his right hand.

Around the bier were Herod’s sons and a large group of his relations; these were followed by the guards, the Thracian contingent, Germans and Gauls, all equipped as for war. The reminder of the troops marched in front, armed and in orderly array, led by their commanders and subordinate officers; behind these came five hundred of Herod’s servants and freedmen, carrying spices. The body was thus conveyed for a distance of two hundred furlongs to Herodium, where, in accordance with the directions of the deceased, it was interred. So ended Herod’s reign.”

Jewish Wars, 1,23,9

Prof. Netzer started his archaeological activity at Herodium in 1972, at first on a small scale. The scope of his work widened with the decision to turn Herodium (the mount together with Lower Herodium) into a national park, which was due to occupy 125 acres. (Until that stage only the mount was proclaimed as a national park and was operated by the Nature and Parks Authority.)

The enlargement of the park started in 1980; unfortunately the activity at the site stopped as a result of the first Intifada, but not before the complex of tunnels from the days of Bar-Kokhba, within the mount, were opened to the public. The archaeological excavations at the site, which also stopped in 1987, were renewed 10 years later and continued until 2000, and after a second break, were renewed at the end of 2005.

Prof. Netzer gained his first “intimate” acknowledgement of Herodian architecture while joining Prof. Yigael Yadin (in 1963-66), in his expedition at Masada. Netzer’s Ph.D. dissertation in archaeology, guided by Prof. Yadin, brought him to initiate excavations both at Lower Herodium and at Jericho – at the complex of Hasmonean and Herodian Winter Palaces. (The site at Jericho, following Netzer’s excavations, includes three palaces of Herod and a hitherto unknown large complex of Hasmonean winter palaces). Additional Herodian structures in other parts of the country were also uncovered by him. He has written various books and articles on the topic of Herodian architecture.

Yaakov Kalman, archaeologist and farmer, participated in many excavations throughout the country and took an active part in Netzer’s excavations at Masada, Jericho and Herodium. Roi Porath took an active part in the survey of the Judean Desert caves and has many significant finds in his record.

The current excavations benefited from donations of private individuals, and the assistance of the Israel Exploration Society and the Israel Nature and Parks Authority.

Photos of Herodium available via e-mail upon request.

For further information:

Jerry Barach, Dept. of Media Relations, the Hebrew University, Tel: 02-588-2904,

or Orit Sulitzeanu, Hebrew University spokesperson, Tel: 02-5882910, Cell: 052-260-8016.

Internet site: http://media.huji.ac.il.

[GA Russell]

Here is the official news release from Hebrew University.

There a Herod, and then another Herod.

There were three King Herods during Jesus's lifetime.

The first was Herod the Great, who reigned when He was born. The second was I think Herod Agrippa, who had St. John the Baptist executed. The third I think was Herod Philipi (not sure about that), who met with Jesus Good Friday morning.

[Guy Berger]

Here is the official news release from Hebrew University.

There a Herod, and then another Herod.

There were three King Herods during Jesus's lifetime.

The first was Herod the Great, who reigned when He was born. The second was I think Herod Agrippa, who had St. John the Baptist executed. The third I think was Herod Philipi (not sure about that), who met with Jesus Good Friday morning.

No. Agrippa I came later, during the 30s and 40s -- when Caligula and Claudius were emperors. This is the Herod of I, Claudius, Herod the Great's grandson.

You may be thinking of Herod Antipas. Don't hold me to that, however.

Herod the Great has gotten something of a bum rap in popular history due to Christian and Jewish biases.

Guy

Edited May 8, 2007 by Guy

[rostasi]

There were three King Herods during Jesus's lifetime.

Yes, I seem to remember reading about Herod, the Mediocre and Herod, the Bloody Awful as well when I was in school.

[GA Russell]

Here is the official news release from Hebrew University.

There a Herod, and then another Herod.

There were three King Herods during Jesus's lifetime.

The first was Herod the Great, who reigned when He was born. The second was I think Herod Agrippa, who had St. John the Baptist executed. The third I think was Herod Philipi (not sure about that), who met with Jesus Good Friday morning.

No. Agrippa I came later, during the 30s and 40s -- when Caligula and Claudius were emperors. This is the Herod of I, Claudius, Herod the Great's grandson.

You may be thinking of Herod Antipas. Don't hold me to that, however.

Guy, that's it! So Herod Antipas was second and had St. John the Baptist executed, and Herod Agrippa was the one who met with Jesus on Good Friday, right?

[dave9199]

If you are the Christ

Yes, the great Jesus Christ

Prove to me you're no fool

Walk across my swimming pool

If you do this for me

Then I'll let you go free

C'mon you king of the Jews!

If you are the Christ

Yes, the great Jesus Christ

Prove to me you're divine

Turn my water into wine...

I have to say I love a number of song from Jesus Christ Superstar of which this is one.

What's the buzz tell me what's-a happening!

Edited May 8, 2007 by dave9199

[Dan Gould]

If you are the Christ

Yes, the great Jesus Christ

Prove to me you're no fool

Walk across my swimming pool

If you do this for me

Then I'll let you go free

C'mon you king of the Jews!

If you are the Christ

Yes, the great Jesus Christ

Prove to me you're divine

Turn my water into wine...

I have to say I love a number of song from Jesus Christ Superstar of which this is one.

And as for this discovery, I am presuming there will be some sort of National Geographic Channel special about it, which I will definitely try to catch.

[Guy Berger]

Guy, that's it! So Herod Antipas was second and had St. John the Baptist executed, and Herod Agrippa was the one who met with Jesus on Good Friday, right?

Nothing in Agrippa I's biography on wikipedia suggests that he met with Jesus, so I'm guessing probably not.

Guy

[Adam]

Herod the Great died in 4 BCE, and the kingdome was split among three sons, including Herod Philippi, who built Caesarea Philippi, and Herod Antipas. Antipas had a fort at Machaerus, in what is now Jordan. John the Baptist was imprisoned & beheaded at Machaerus. I went to Machaerus when I co-produced a History Channel show called "The Search for John the Baptist. The ruins are largely rubble, except for some rebuilt (poorly, according to the archaeologist) pillars and floor. The location is astounding, on a mountain overlooking to Dead Sea.

A local boy told of us a cave there that is known to the locals as the "Prison of John." The archaeologist, Shimon Gibson, had an alternative theory for the prison - an underground water storage chamber.

Wikipedia on Herod Antipas:

http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Herod_Antipas

And all this is not related to the tomb of Herod the Great just uncovered.

[Chuck Nessa]

Does he have an original pressing of "Shades of Redd" for sale?