Posted on 12/22/2014 4:13:15 AM PST by NYer
Workers stand near the newly uncovered monumental entryway to the Herodian Palace in Herodium National Park, outside of Bethlehem in the West Bank. The entry, at right, is a corridor with a complex system of arches on three separate levels. The arches buttressed the corridor's massive side walls, allowing the king and his entourage direct passage into the palace courtyard.
Israeli archaeologists are showing off the monumental, many-arched corridor that led to Herod the Great's hilltop palace near Jerusalem in the first century. The corridor in the ancient fortress of Herodium, about 7 miles (12 kilometers) south of Jerusalem, has been excavated to reveal a space 65 feet long, 65 feet high and 20 feet wide (20 by 20 by 6 meters).
In King Herod's day, the corridor was designed to lead directly into the palace courtyard — but archaeologists determined during the excavations that it didn't get much use. Instead, they say it was back-filled when the palace was converted into Herod's burial monument.
Herod the Great — who's infamous for his role in the Bible's Christmas stories — died in 4 B.C., reportedly after an excruciating illness. (The Herod mentioned in the stories of Jesus' crucifixion was his son, Herod Antipas.)
Archaeologists say a series of arches on three separate levels led up to the courtyard of Herod the Great's hilltop palace, but they were back-filled when the palace was converted into a burial monument.
The dig team also uncovered a palace vestibule that was decorated with painted frescoes, as well as hidden tunnels that were used by Jewish guerrillas during a second-century revolt against the Romans.
Even though Herodium is in the West Bank, the Israeli government has designated the site as a park and wants to turn it into a tourist destination.
"The excavation of the arched corridor will allow visitors direct access to the Herodium hilltop palace-fortress, in the same way that Herod entered it 2,000 years ago," the Hebrew University of Jerusalem said in a news release.
Ping!
Great post, thank you. Amazing... so many treasures have laid buried for centuries, but now that Israel is a nation again they are emerging. It is obvious who loves the land and its history the most.
Fascinating! Thanks for the post: I’d like to see how the excavation progresses-the pictures were beautiful!
bump
lol
“And Herod we go!”
If you’d like to be on or off, please FR mail me.
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Fascinating. Marvelous for a whole host of reasons. But then again King Herod was a mere fictitious character.
Merely fictitious? I don’t believe so.
Ethnically an Arab, Herod the Great had a career noticed and recorded by the Romans. The Roman Senate appointed him King of the Jews. (http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Herod_the_Great)
I think Our FRiend was being “Ironic” when he said that “Herod was a fictitious Character” LOL! :-)
I LOVE it when scientists dig up stuff that confirms the Biblical accounts.
Happy Chanukah and Merry Christmas to you! :-)
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