Herodium
- SCHOLARLY AND FICTIONAL WORKS: see Category:Herodium (subject)
- ANCIENT SOURCES: see Herodium (sources)
Herodium (or Herodion) was a Herodian fortress.
History
The fortress and royal palace was built by Herod the Great to commemorate his victory against the Jews allied with the Parthians. The Herodium was also his burial site; Josephus describes the king's funeral procession and burial at Herodium, led by Herod's son Herod Archelaus.
During the Jewish War, the fortress was, with Machaerus and Masada, one of the last strongholds of the rebels. It was conquered and destroyed by the Romans in 71 CE. It was reused by Bar Kokhba during the early 2nd-century uprising.
Herodium in ancient sources
Herodium in Scholarship
The site was identified in the 19th century. Remains of the palace-fortress on the hilltop have been excavated by several expeditions since the early 1960s. Excavation of the buildings at the foot of the hill has been conducted intermittently since 1972 to the present time.
On May 8, 2007, Hebrew University professor Ehud Netzer announced the discovery of the remains of the tomb of Herod.
Herodium in Fiction
Related categories
References
- Fortresses and Palaces: Herodium / Adam Marshak and Daniel C. Harlow / In: The Eerdmans Dictionary of Early Judaism (2010 Collins / Harlow), edited volume, 649-650