For nearly a quarter of a century, Israeli scientists have been trying to discover archaeological finds associated with the name of the most cruel Jewish king, Herod. A real sensation was the statement by archaeologists that, at last, Herod's grave was found.
In the vicinity of Hebron, there is an amazing man-made hill, which has more than once become a place that has kept a large number of historical mysteries. The unique remains of the royal palace and the ruins of a Byzantine monastery, as if sunk into the top of the hill, have attracted hundreds of archaeologists with their mystery for many years. These monuments are the embodiment of the amazing fantasy of Tsar Herod the Great, to whom the famous evangelist Matthew attributed terrible atrocities.
King Herod was truly an architectural genius who created fantastic buildings. Such buildings were not built 2 thousand years ago either in Rome or its environs. Even modern architects are unlikely to create something like this. And it is not strange that Herod's grave ended up in a mound built by him. Rather, even in a volcano, the crater of which was built up by his summer palace. It took a lot of time and effort to find the mysterious tomb of this king.
The Senate Hall erupted into applause when Ehud Natser, the luminary of the Israeli archaeological school, announced his find. The search for the tomb of Judas began in 1972, but there was no grave at the foot of the hill and at its top. Such a coveted archaeological find was found behind a notch in the wall. From there, archaeologists have recovered fragments of an old sarcophagus, made of a fairly valuable red stone.
The sarcophagus itself, like the premises of the mausoleum, were destroyed, probably by those who wanted to settle scores with the king even after his death. Judging by the fragments of debris and chips, the building collapsed on purpose, and with great enthusiasm. Thirty-six years of the reign of King Herod were marked by bloody executions and murders. Modern historians have never come to a common solution to the question of why the cruel tsar killed innocent people.
He killed his own son Antipatos, more than forty members of the Sanhedrin, as well as his wife Miriam. Before his death, the king went mad and, rotting alive, on the day of his death issued a decree to murder hundreds of members of famous Jewish families, so that every house would cry. This king was hated with such force that even the secret mausoleum, built by him during his lifetime, could not save his remains.
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Another find was associated with the name of Herod. In 2007, archaeologists discovered an ancient quarry in the vicinity of Jerusalem, created during the reign of Herod the Great. The date of the quarry's operation was established thanks to the ancient fragments of pottery and coins found here. Such an accidental find allowed scientists to find out where the material for the construction of the Second Temple was obtained.