Herodium is one of the most distinctive silhouettes in the Judean landscape: a truncated cone rising from the desert hills south of Bethlehem, visible from Jerusalem and from the Dead Sea. Herod the Great built it as a combined palace-fortress, the only monument in his vast building program that he named after himself. And it is here, after decades of searching, that archaeologists finally found his tomb.
The Mountain
Herod literally built a mountain. He chose a natural hill and then heightened it by filling in the space between two concentric circular walls, creating the volcano-shaped cone visible today. The upper palace, inside the cone, included a garden, a bathhouse, a reception hall, and a round tower. The lower palace, at the base of the mountain, included a full-sized swimming pool (one of the largest in the ancient world), formal gardens, and a monumental building that may have served as a mausoleum.
The Tomb
In 2007, the Hebrew University archaeologist Ehud Netzer announced the discovery of Herod’s tomb on the mountainside, halfway up the cone. The tomb consisted of a monumental sarcophagus of local Jerusalemite reddish limestone (mizzi ahmar), smashed to pieces in antiquity by people who despised Herod’s memory. The sarcophagus was decorated with rosettes and had been deliberately and thoroughly destroyed. Netzer, who had spent 35 years searching for the tomb, died in 2010 from a fall at the site, adding a tragic epilogue to the story.
Bar Kokhba Revolt
During the Bar Kokhba revolt against Rome (132-135 CE), Jewish rebels took over Herodium and converted it into a stronghold. They built a synagogue in the reception hall (one of the oldest known synagogues), dug tunnels through the mountain for defense and escape, and used the fortress as a command center. The tunnels, which visitors can enter, show the desperation and ingenuity of the rebels who fought Rome from Herod’s abandoned palace.
Visit with Hoshen Tours
Herodium tells the story of Herod’s ambition, his death, and the destruction of his legacy. Hoshen Tours climbs the mountain, explores the tunnels, and tells the story of a king who built a monument to himself that his own people destroyed.