- Title: MIDDLE EAST: New findings from the grave of King Herod in the West Bank
- Date: 22nd November 2008
- Summary: VARIOUS: MORE OF EXCAVATION SITE (6 SHOTS) NETZER AT SITE MORE OF VARIOUS OF EXCAVATION SITE (3 SHOTS)
- Embargoed: 7th December 2008 12:00
- Keywords:
- Topics: History,Lifestyle
- Reuters ID: LVA9C7VSV1X3BQSSS56CN1VJRVQY
- Story Text: Researchers reveal stone tombs of family members of King Herod, strengthening the identification of the King's grave site in the West Bank.
An Israeli archaeologist said on Wednesday (November 19) he had unearthed the 2,000-year-old remains of two sarcophagi in which a wife and daughter-in-law of the biblical King Herod had been interred.
Other findings announced by Ehud Netzer of Jerusalem's Hebrew University provided new evidence of the lavish lifestyle of the Roman-era monarch also known as the "King of the Jews."
"First of all, we found a theatre we never knew about. In a way, we never expected because theatres are generally in big cities. And the highlight of the theatre is the loggia, a box of sorts. At the top of it, Herod and his friends could watch the shows," Netzer said.
Herod, a Roman-anointed king who ruled Judea from 37 BC until his death in 4 BC, has a special place in biblical history. A colossal builder, Herod rebuilt the Jewish temple in Jerusalem, making him a focus of study in the Jewish state.
The Gospel of Matthew says Herod ordered the "Massacre of the Innocents", the killing of male infants in Jesus' birthplace of Bethlehem, out of fear of losing his throne.
Netzer showed reporters excavated portions of two limestone sarcophagi he believes had contained remains of one of Herod's wives, Malthace, and a daughter-in-law.
He said these findings supported his claims that another sarcophagus he found in 2007 had been Herod's tomb. Some experts had said then the evidence seemed inconclusive.
But based on the additional sarcophagi he has found, despite the absence of any tell-tale inscriptions, and documentation by the ancient Jewish historian Josephus Flavius, Netzer said:"the building, the mausoleum there should be no doubt whatsoever. I said before i would eat my hat if at the site there would be another tomb found. But now that we have three sarcophagi, who exactly belongs to Herod, or not, might stay a question for eternity."
At a visit to the dig site in Herodium, outside Jerusalem in the occupied West Bank, where one of Herod's palaces once stood, Netzer showed reporters evidence of what he said was a mausoleum at the site, where the remains of the sarcophagi had been found.
He said his team "was surprised when while looking for a trail up a hail" they came across further evidence of Herod's cushy lifestyle, a well-preserved mural of gazelles decorating walls of what Netzer believes was luxury seating for a theatre.
Some bones were also found nearby, but Netzer could not verify they belonged to any of the Herod dynasty.
Netzer said the remains of the monarch and his relatives likely disappeared when their tombs were smashed, possibly by Jewish rebels against the Romans from 66 to 72 AD. - Copyright Holder: REUTERS
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