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HERODIUM

(Gk. Hērōdeíon)

A fortress complex situated at Jebel el-Fureidis (1731.1192), 12 km. (7.5 mi.) S of Jerusalem, near Bethlehem. A hill-top fortress built by Herod the Great (ca. 23 b.c.e.), Upper Herodium is a cone- or cylinder-shaped site where Herod’s five-story palace once stood. At Lower Herodium, at the base of the hill-top palace, are the remains of a pool complex, a central bathhouse, a long concourse, a monumental building, and palace. This large building complex not only functioned as Herod’s summer residence but also served to preserve and commemorate Herod’s name. Josephus describes the site (Ant. 15.9.4) and identifies it as the burial place of Herod (17.8.3; BJ 1.33.9).

It was at this site in 40 b.c.e. that Herod was ambushed by Antigonus, but he was able to counter and decisively defeat his Hasmonean attackers. After Herod’s death the Romans selected Herodium as capital of a Palestinian toparchy. Along with Machaerus and Masada, the city was one of the last Jewish strongholds during the First Jewish Revolt, falling to the Romans in 72 c.e. It was reoccupied briefly during the Second Jewish Revolt (ca. 132).

After its identification in 1838 by Edward Robinson, there were no thorough and accurate attempts to survey and excavate the site until the mid-1960s. Recent excavations by Ehud Netzer of Hebrew University have concentrated on both the fortress of Upper Herodium and Lower Herodium, uncovering remains from the Herodian to Byzantine periods. Despite considerable discussion about the possible location of Herod’s tomb at Herodium, to date it has not been unearthed.

Bibliography. G. Foerster and E. Netzer, “Herodium,” NEAEHL 2:618-26; “Searching for Herod’s Tomb,” BARev 9/3 (1983): 31-51; J. Patrich, “Corbo’s Excavations at Herodium,” IEJ 42 (1992): 241-45.

Robert A. Derrenbacker, Jr.

Prayer Tents Bible References - Prayer Tents

HERODIUM

Eerdmans Dictionary of the Bible (2000)