Herodium
The Herodium, or Herodion Herodion (Hebrew הרודיון, Arabic هيروديون ) is a the Great ( 74-4 BC) in the period BC, built by Herod 24-12 fortress and palace, twelve kilometers south of Jerusalem, located in what is now the West Bank.
Construction of the plant
The mountain has the characteristic shape of a truncated cone whose diameter is 64 m, the upper plateau lies at an altitude of 758 m above sea level Herod increased to an existing hill by about a third. After this towered over the surrounding hills clearly was visible from Jerusalem and offered views to Bethlehem. On the summit plateau, a strongly fortified citadel, which included, among other things, a mausoleum next to lounges arose. At the foot of the mountain Herod had another palace with numerous buildings, stables and storerooms build. These is an artificial basin of water with island, which was probably used for refreshing swimming and water games. The water for this has been brought up by a channel from Jerusalem.
Background and destruction
The Jewish historian Flavius Josephus records that at this point Herod was overtaken on the run from the attacking Parthia, but he could beat the Parthians, despite their superior numbers. Josephus is also the source for the detailed reports and records of Herod's burial in the Herodium.
The Herodium was built in 71 AD by a Roman Legion, who captured and destroyed legio X Fretensis under the command of Lucilius Bassus, on their march against Masada.
Archeology
Franciscans began in the 1950s with excavations at the Herodion. The remains of the palace on the hill with four strong tower systems were uncovered during this first excavation campaign and illustrate the challenges and great achievements of Herod the Great as a builder. The Herodion Hill and also the archaeological sites of the slope below were declared despite the situation in the occupied Palestinian territories to an Israeli nature reserve and managed by the National Park Service in cooperation with the Israeli military administration (Civil Administration). This will, inter alia, facilitate the protection of the area in front of grave robbers and other non- legitimate archaeological activities.
The architectural historian and archaeologist Ehud Netzer, Professor of Classical Archaeology at the Hebrew University of Jerusalem, announced in May 2007 that he had discovered Herod's grave. Netzer, considered Herod expert, the grave could not locate the Herodium after 35 years of research and excavations. Netzer, who has since died, believed in the authenticity of the find, even though no inscriptions have been found that uniquely identify the deceased as Herod. Since 1972, the Israeli archaeologist digging for the resting place of Herod. The archaeological site is located between the fort and two palaces at the foot of the hill. In the grave Netzer discovered fragments of a possibly following the Roman conquest of Jerusalem shattered by insurgent Jews in anger monumental sarcophagus of limestone.
Swell
- Flavius Josephus: History of the Jewish War, Wiesbaden: Marixverlag, 2005, ISBN 3-86539-018-8