MIDDLE EAST:After a 35-year search, the grave of the biblical king infamous for ordering a cull of baby boys has been located, writes Conal Urquhartin Jerusalem
As a king whose feats of construction are almost as renowned as his ruthless suppression of rivals, Herod the Great planned to leave a lasting memorial to his bloody reign over Jerusalem. In recent decades, archaeologists have uncovered a series of buildings that Herod planned to grace his grave, but the actual burial place has eluded them.
However, Prof Ehud Netzer, from the Hebrew University in Jerusalem, said yesterday that, after a 35-year search, he had located Herod's final resting place, one of the most significant archaeological finds in the Middle East for decades.
The archaeologist said he had followed a series of clues that eventually led to the remains of Herod's decorated stone coffin on the steep slope of a hill seven miles from Jerusalem.
Herod is best-known in the Christian world for the slaughter of the innocents, which is recounted in the Gospel according to Matthew. Matthew says that, on learning of the birth of Jesus, Herod instructed the Three Wise Men to take him to Jesus so that he could also worship him. The wise men realised that Herod meant to kill Jesus and warned Joseph to flee with his family. When Herod realised he had been tricked, he ordered the killing of all boys under two to protect himself from the new "king".
Historians believed Herod was buried close to the fortress he built on a man-made hill called Herodium but, despite decades of excavation, the site has never been located. Around 30 years ago, archaeologists found the estate Herod built for his grave on the slopes below the fort. The king built two monuments and a ritual bath in preparation for his death.
Prof Netzer believes Herod originally intended to be interred in the estate but changed his mind in old age and decided to be buried further up the hillside. Excavations at the site in the Judean desert between the Palestinian town of Bethlehem and the Jewish settlement of Tekoa were disrupted by the first intifada in 1987 and the second in 2000.
After restarting work in 2006, the archaeologists, helped by local Bedouins, discovered a 6.5m-wide stairway which ascended the mountain and led to the mausoleum. All that remains of that mausoleum is its podium and fragments of its main structure. Around the site were scattered hundreds of pieces of stone which made up a 2.5m-long sarcophagus, decorated with rosettes. The high quality of the sarcophagus meant it could only have been made for Herod, according to Prof Netzer. There were no signs of bones at the site.
Prof Netzer said the sarcophagus had been destroyed, probably by Jews rebelling against Rome in AD 66, who regarded Herod as a puppet of the Romans. He said he was extremely satisfied he had located the grave after a lifetime's work. "This is significant because of Herod's importance to Christianity and Judaism and the number of buildings he left behind."
Herod was appointed king of the Jews by the Roman senate and he conquered Judea in 37 BC. During his 34-year reign, he executed several members of his immediate family to preserve his rule. In spite of his brutality, Herod also provided grain for his subjects in time of famine and built major forts, which can be seen today at Caesarea, Masada and Herodium. He also greatly expanded the Jewish temple in Jerusalem, the remains of which include the Western Wall, Judaism's holiest site.
Herod was one of the richest rulers in the Roman empire. He monopolised the production of bronze, using tin mined in Britain. He used some of his wealth to fund the Olympic games.