King Herod's Tomb Found?

Jashobeam · 05-08-2007, 01:56 PM

Photos: http://www.foxnews.com/photoessay/0,4644,1715,00.html

Story: http://www.bloomberg.com/apps/news?p...aH8&refer=muse

Quote:

Herod's Tomb Found By Archeologists Near Jerusalem (Update1)

By David Rosenberg

May 8 (Bloomberg) -- The lost tomb of Herod the Great, who ruled Judea at the time of Jesus' birth, may have been found at the site of a palace-fortress the king built near Jerusalem, archeologists said.

After a 35-year search, archaeologists Ehud Netzer, Yaakov Kalman and Roi Porath uncovered pieces of an elaborate sarcophagus, or stone coffin, in excavations in the West Bank at the Herodion, 12 kilometers (7.5 miles) south of Jerusalem, Hebrew University said in a faxed statement today.

Herod, who ruled the Jewish kingdom of Judea from 37 B.C. to 4 B.C., rebuilt and expanded Jerusalem's Second Temple and the Masada fortress. . .

``The discovery of Herod's tomb in one of the most important archaeological findings of recent years,'' Netzer said in the statement.

While Herod's tomb was almost totally dismantled sometime in the first century A.D., archaeologists said they uncovered a podium comprising ``high-quality'' architectural elements, including urns used to store body ashes, and a ``monumental'' flight of stairs, probably used at the time of the funeral procession, according to the university.

Archaeologists are continuing their work in the hope of finding inscriptions and other evidence to confirm their conclusions, the university said. Very few sarcophagi have been discovered in the area and are found only in the most ``elaborate'' tombs, it said.

`No Doubt'

``The location and unique nature of the findings, as well as the historical record, leave no doubt that this was Herod the Great's burial site,'' the university said, noting that the ancient historian Josephus wrote that the king was buried there.

Besides the construction projects that earned him the name Herod the Builder and sparked an economic boom, the king also had a colorful private life. He married 10 times, including to one of his nieces.

Herod executed three of his sons and his second wife, Mariamne. He was friends with Mark Antony and the Roman emperor Octavian, better known as Augustus, who acted as his patrons.

According to the Gospel of Matthew, Herod ordered the Massacre of the Innocents, the execution of baby boys to prevent the loss of his throne to the newborn Jesus, whom the Magi told him was destined to become the king of the Jews. Herod's son, Herod Antipater, ordered John the Baptist beheaded.

amshum · 05-08-2007, 02:40 PM

That's so interesting. Thanks for posting that information.