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Team says it’s found Herod’s tomb

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Times Staff Writer

Archeologists from Hebrew University say they have found the tomb of Herod the Great, the Roman client-king of Judea, after a 35-year search at the desert site where his palace once stood.

Herod, who expanded the Judean empire from Palestine to parts of Jordan, Lebanon and Syria, is known in the New Testament as the ruler who ordered the Massacre of the Innocents, the slaughter of boys in Jerusalem that caused Mary, Joseph and the baby Jesus to flee to Egypt.

The tomb’s location, one of the Holy Land’s greatest archeological mysteries, was discovered by Ehud Netzer at Herodium, a massive cone-shaped mound in the Judean desert about eight miles south of Jerusalem.

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Netzer was scheduled to release details at a news conference this morning and he declined to give any further information in advance. The Israeli newspaper Haaretz reported the discovery Monday and the university later confirmed it.

Historical accounts by 1st century Jewish historian Flavius Josephus indicated that Herod was buried at Herodium, and Netzer had been excavating there since 1972. He finally found the grave midway between the upper part of Herodium and the lower palaces, an area not previously studied.

The man-made cone, constructed to commemorate Herod’s victory over the Parthians and Hasmoneans about 40 BC, had a combination palace and fortress at the top and another palace and administrative center at the base.

Herod was a ruthless and cruel ruler, but he was also an able and far-sighted administrator who built up the economic base of Judea, founding cities and developing agricultural projects. His greatest achievement was the expansion of the second Jewish temple in Jerusalem, which subsequently became known as Herod’s Temple.

Herodium towers nearly 800 yards above the desert floor. A circular fortress at the top enclosed a palace splendidly appointed with colorful tile floors, mosaics and wall paintings.

At the base of the cone were several royal buildings and gardens surrounding a 70-by-46-yard swimming pool that also served as the main reservoir. Rainwater was trapped in cisterns, but water was also channeled in through an aqueduct connecting the pool to Solomon’s pools in Jerusalem.

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Roman forces destroyed Herodium in AD 71, a year after destroying the second temple.

thomas.maugh@latimes.com

Times staff writers Alan Zarembo in Los Angeles and Ken Ellingwood in Jerusalem contributed to this report.

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