Although his period of reign was about 2,000 years ago, Herod still stands as one of the most significant rulers in the history of the Holy Land. Appointed by the Romans in 40 BCE, Herod reigned for over 30 years. He brought unprecedented prosperity to the land and transformed it with massive building projects. Caesarea, Jerusalem, Masada and Jericho are just some of the sites which he either founded, or dramatically changed.
He also created a fortified palace complex near Bethlehem, naming it after himself – Herodium. He was eventually also buried in it, a burial that marked the end of an era. Unfortunately, the exact location of the tomb was not described by the historical sources.
The site of Herodium has been excavated since the 1960s. This specially designed tour will follow the attempts to track Herod’s tomb, and the discoveries made so far. Prepare for the unknown!
Searching for Herod’s Tomb in Herodium
The lower city was excavated for more than 40 years by Prof. Netzer from the Hebrew University. He discovered a big size pool with a bath house, Jewish ritual baths and some public buildings, but no sign of the legendary tomb.
Sensational Discovery
Netzer presenting a reconstruction of the first stone coffin he recovered at Herodium. Photo © Avital Lahav
In 2007, in a last attempt before he retired, Netzer dug on the steep perimeter of the Citadel. To everyone’s surprise, one of the probes yielded the foundation of a structure with fine ornamentations. But the most exciting discoveries were framgents of 3 nicely decorated stone coffins. The discovery became international headlines, as Netzer stated he was certain he found the lost sepulchre of King Herod.
Our tour will follow the different attempts to track the lost tomb, both in the lower and the upper city. We will also walk through some underground water reservoirs, and finally view Netzer’s discovery. However, a close examination of the finds will also present the problem with identifying this discovery as Herod’s tomb. But if this is not Herod’s tomb, then who was buried here? And if Herod is not buried here, where is he buried??
Watch a video Presentation of Herodium
Examining Tombs in the Kidron Valley
Formed in the same time frame as King Herod, these tombs are a good parallel to the discovery made in Herodium. The comparative analysis will lead us to some interesting theories.
Studying the Finds at the Israel Museum
We will end the day with a visit to the Israel Museum, in western Jerusalem. Established as the national museum of Israel, the Israel Museum also has a big and important archaeological wing.
Our focus will be the display of the red limestone coffin, and the fragments of the sepulchre, that Netzer found in Herodium.
Are these all parts of Herod’s tomb? Have we really solved the riddle?
