Unearthed after 2,000 years, the tomb of King Herod

The tomb of King Herod has been discovered in one of his palaces 2,000 years after his death.

The grave was found by a team from the Hebrew University of Jerusalem in Herodion, a stunning volcano-shaped desert fortress five miles south-east of Bethlehem.

Ehud Netzer, who led the team, said that despite an absence of bones they concluded the 8ft-long tomb they unearthed must have been Herod’s because of its lavish design.

One of the limestone remnants had a flower-like pattern.

"It was not a sarcophagus that was common or which anyone could afford during the era," he said.

The location of Herod’s grave has long been a mystery among archaeologists. The Roman historian Josephus wrote that he was buried at Herodion, but until now all efforts to find it have proved unsuccessful.

It seemed unlikely, however, that a monarch known for spending huge sums on building monuments and palaces which have lasted for centuries would not have planned his own colossal tomb.

Herod the Great ruled the ancient kingdom of Judea from 37BC and was monarch at the time of the birth of Jesus.

He has been painted as a monster throughout the Christian world because of his depiction in the Bible, which tells how he ordered the Slaughter of the Innocents.

According to the gospel of St Matthew, Herod was determined to hold on to power at any cost.

After being told by soothsayers that the birth of a new King of the Jews was imminent, he ordered the massacre of all newborns in Bethlehem to kill off the threat to his authority.

Other records, however, do not mention the massacre.

And many historians say Herod was a hugely successful ruler who built lavish palaces, sea ports, aqueducts and temples, including the magnificent Temple in Jerusalem, the Tomb of the Patriarchs in Hebron and the sea port complex and racing track at Caesaria.

The massive stones of the outer wall of Herod’s Temple Mount still stand today in the Old City of Jerusalem, where they are known as the Western Wall.

He also constructed an elegant winter palace on the slope of Masada, a mountain overlooking the Dead Sea where Jewish forces held out for a year against three Roman legions.

Herodion itself, where his tomb has been found, is a series of underground tunnels hewn out of a natural mountain.

Topped with a magnificent palace complete with bath-houses, it is regarded as one of the most astonishing engineering feats of the ancient world.

Herod was descended from the Edomites, a tribe of ancient enemies of the Jews who converted to Judaism in about 120BC.

When Palestine was under Roman rule, his father became chief minister of Judea and made Herod governor of Galilee when he was 25.

After the assassination of Julius Caesar, Herod became a protege of Mark Antony and Caesar’s nephew Octavian.

In 39BC Herod invaded Judea to win the country back for the Romans and was later made king.

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*FOR PICTURES:
Follow this link to the source URL for some great pictures of the tomb and excavation. http://www.dailymail.co.uk/pages/live/articles/technology/technology.htm...

*QUESTIONS FOR DISCUSSION

Should history teachers avoid the teaching of King Herod because of it’s religious background?

Do you think that the Old and New Testaments as well as the Torah and other ancient religious texts should be taught in schools?

What do you think should be done with the alleged site of Herod’s tomb?

*REMEMEBER TO BE RESPECTFUL
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