Herod
the Great built Herodium (or Herodion) c. 24 BCE as both a palace
and a fortress. The Herodium sat on the flattened top of a hill
that rises c. 400 feet above the surrounding terrain. The roof and
upper stories of the Herodium no longer exist; the remains of four
towers, however, are still visible. Josephus describes the Herodium
as follows,
"The fortress...is naturally strong and very suitable for such a structure,
raised to a (greater) height by the hand of man and rounded off in
the shape of a breast. At its intervals it has round towers....Within
it are costly royal apartments made for security and ornament at the
same time (Ant. 15.324). Also, according to Josephus,
after Herod died in Jericho, his body was taken to the Herodium and
buried there "in a bier of solid gold studded with precious stones"
(Ant. 17.191-99; War 1.656-73). Herod's tomb,
however, has not yet been located.
Herod
the Great built Herodium (or Herodion) c. 24 BCE as both a palace
and a fortress. The Herodium sat on the flattened top of a hill
that rises c. 400 feet above the surrounding terrain. The roof and
upper stories of the Herodium no longer exist; the remains of four
towers, however, are still visible. Josephus describes the Herodium
as follows,
"The fortress...is naturally strong and very suitable for such a structure,
raised to a (greater) height by the hand of man and rounded off in
the shape of a breast. At its intervals it has round towers....Within
it are costly royal apartments made for security and ornament at the
same time (Ant. 15.324). Also, according to Josephus,
after Herod died in Jericho, his body was taken to the Herodium and
buried there "in a bier of solid gold studded with precious stones"
(Ant. 17.191-99; War 1.656-73). Herod's tomb,
however, has not yet been located.