H E R O D IU M H E R O D IU M
Transcript of H E R O D IU M H E R O D IU M
HER
ODIU
MHER
ODIU
M
ISRAEL EXPLORATION SOCIETYSRAEL EXPLORATION SOCIETYSRAEL EXPLORATION SOCIETYSRAEL EXPLORATION SOCIETYSRAEL EXPLORATION SOCIETYSRAEL EXPLORATION SOCIETYSRAEL EXPLORATION SOCIETYSRAEL EXPLORATION SOCIETYSRAEL EXPLORATION SOCIETYSRAEL EXPLORATION SOCIETYSRAEL EXPLORATION SOCIETYSRAEL EXPLORATION SOCIETYSRAEL EXPLORATION SOCIETYSRAEL EXPLORATION SOCIETYSRAEL EXPLORATION SOCIETYSRAEL EXPLORATION SOCIETYSRAEL EXPLORATION SOCIETYSRAEL EXPLORATION SOCIETYISRAEL EXPLORATION SOCIETY
THE HEBREW UNIVERSITY OF JERUSALEMTHE HEBREW UNIVERSITY OF JERUSALEMTHE HEBREW UNIVERSITY OF JERUSALEMTHE HEBREW UNIVERSITY OF JERUSALEMTHE HEBREW UNIVERSITY OF JERUSALEMTHE HEBREW UNIVERSITY OF JERUSALEMTHE HEBREW UNIVERSITY OF JERUSALEMTHE HEBREW UNIVERSITY OF JERUSALEMTHE HEBREW UNIVERSITY OF JERUSALEMTHE HEBREW UNIVERSITY OF JERUSALEMTHE HEBREW UNIVERSITY OF JERUSALEMTHE HEBREW UNIVERSITY OF JERUSALEMTHE HEBREW UNIVERSITY OF JERUSALEMTHE HEBREW UNIVERSITY OF JERUSALEMTHE HEBREW UNIVERSITY OF JERUSALEMTHE HEBREW UNIVERSITY OF JERUSALEMTHE HEBREW UNIVERSITY OF JERUSALEMTHE HEBREW UNIVERSITY OF JERUSALEMTHE HEBREW UNIVERSITY OF JERUSALEMTHE HEBREW UNIVERSITY OF JERUSALEMTHE HEBREW UNIVERSITY OF JERUSALEMTHE HEBREW UNIVERSITY OF JERUSALEMTHE HEBREW UNIVERSITY OF JERUSALEMTHE HEBREW UNIVERSITY OF JERUSALEMTHE HEBREW UNIVERSITY OF JERUSALEMTHE HEBREW UNIVERSITY OF JERUSALEMTHE HEBREW UNIVERSITY OF JERUSALEMTHE HEBREW UNIVERSITY OF JERUSALEMTHE HEBREW UNIVERSITY OF JERUSALEMTHE HEBREW UNIVERSITY OF JERUSALEMTHE HEBREW UNIVERSITY OF JERUSALEMTHE HEBREW UNIVERSITY OF JERUSALEMTHE HEBREW UNIVERSITY OF JERUSALEMTHE HEBREW UNIVERSITY OF JERUSALEM
Prof. EHUD NETZER (1934–2010),archaeologist and architect of the Institute of Archaeology of The Hebrew University of Jerusalem, conducted extensive excavations at Herodium for nearly 40 years and was a leading authority on Herodian architecture. He excavated many other Herodian sites including Masada, Jericho, Caesarea, and Jerusalem. The exposure in 2007 of the mausoleum at Herodium, identified as Herod’s tomb, was one of the climaxes of Prof. Netzer’s career. In 2010, during work with his team at the site, Prof. Netzer tragically fell to his death next to the Herodian tomb precinct. This book is dedicated to his memory.
”.. But while he thus perpetuated the memory of his family and his friends, he did not neglect to leave memorials of himself… An artificial rounded hill, sixty furlongs from Jerusalem, was given the same name [Herodium], but more elaborate embellishment.”
(Josephus, War I.419)
”.. The body was thus conveyed for a distance of two hundred furlongs to Herodium where, in accordance with the directions of the deceased, it was interred. So ended Herod’s reign.”
(Josephus, War I.673)
Greater Herodium was one of the greatest architectural accomplishments of King Herod, the ”Great Builder,” and one of the more daring and impressive building projects carried out in the Roman Empire. The elaborate mausoleum exposed here is one of the most remarkable funerary monuments uncovered in Judea, and one of the greatest achievements of Herodian architecture. Remains of this building were unearthed on the mount’s northeastern slope, alongside a monumental stairway leading to the Mountain Palace-Fortress. Among the ruins of the mausoleum, deliberately destroyed during the First Jewish Revolt, were numerous fragments of ornate sarcophagi, clearly associated with the Jerusalem elite of the Second Temple period.
The mausoleum, identified by the excavators as Herod’s burial place, stands within a tomb precinct, part of a larger funerary complex built by Herod to perpetuate his memory and glorify his name. The complex was completed by the creation of the artificial cone-shaped mount that enveloped the tomb precinct and the palace at its top and functioned as a vast royal tumulus and memorial to Herod the Great.
This is the first volume in the series of Final Reports of the 1972–2010 Excavations Directed by Ehud Netzer. This volume presents the stratigraphy and architecture in the area of Herod’s tomb precinct, the pottery assemblages and other small finds including, among others, glass, metal and bone artifacts, coins, weapons and inscriptions, as well as a study of the sarcophagi and a proposed reconstruction of the mausoleum and its architectural decoration. Twenty-five authors contributed to this volume.
HERODIUM Final Reports of the 1972–2010 Excavations
Directed by Ehud Netzer
Volume I
Herod’s Tomb PrecinctRoi Porat, Rachel Chachy, and Yakov Kalman
HERODIUMFinal Reports of the 1972–2010 Excavations
Directed by Ehud Netzer
Volume I
Herod’s Tomb PrecinctRoi Porat, Rachel Chachy, and Yakov Kalman
II
HE
RO
DIU
M
Fin
alR
ep
orts
of
th
e1972–2010
Excavatio
ns
Dir
ected
by
Eh
ud
Netzer
Volu
me
I:H
erod’s
Tom
bP
recin
ct
RoiP
orat,
RachelC
hachy,and
Yakov
Kalm
an
CO
NT
EN
TS
Sam
uelIsrael
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ix–x
Preface
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xi–
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xxii
–xxvii
i
Lis
tof
Ill
ustr
ati
ons,P
lans,T
able
s,and
Pla
tes
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xxix
–xli
v
PA
RT
I:
In
trod
ucti
on
Chapte
r1:
Herodiu
min
His
tory
(D
anie
lR
.S
chw
artz
).
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1–14
Chapte
r2:
His
tory
of
Research
(R
achelC
hachy)
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.15–19
PA
RT
II:
Str
ati
grap
hy
an
dA
rch
itectu
re
Chapte
r3:
The
Str
ati
graphy
inth
eA
rea
of
Herod’s
Tom
bP
recin
ct
(R
oiP
orat,
Yakov
Kalm
an,and
RachelC
hachy).
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.21–200
PA
RT
III:
Th
eM
au
sole
um
Chapte
r4:
The
Reconstr
ucti
on
of
the
Mausole
um
(R
achelC
hachy)
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201–313
Chapte
r5:
The
Archit
ectu
ralD
ecorati
on
of
the
Mausole
um
(O
rit
Pele
g-B
arkatand
RachelC
hachy).
..
..
..
314–348
Chapte
r6:
The
Sarcophagifrom
the
Mausole
um
Unearth
ed
atH
erodiu
m(G
ideon
Foerste
r)
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..
..
..
..
.349–361
Chapte
r7:
Hum
an
Bones
from
the
Area
of
the
Mausole
um
(A
nna
Belf
er-
Cohen,
Baruch
Arensburg
,A
lon
Barash,and
Raheli
Sarig
).
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362–364
PA
RT
IV
:T
he
Fin
ds
Chapte
r8:
The
Pott
ery
from
the
Area
of
the
Mausole
um
(Judit
Gärtn
er)
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Chapte
r9:
The
Gla
ss
Fin
ds
from
the
Area
of
Herod’s
Tom
b(R
uth
E.Jackson-T
al)
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.396–408
Chapte
r10:
The
Coin
sfrom
Herodiu
m—
the
Tom
bA
rea
(N
iliA
hip
az)
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409–425
Chapte
r11:
The
Meta
lA
rti
facts
from
the
Area
of
the
Mausole
um
(R
avit
Nenner-
Soria
no)
..
..
..
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..
.426–431
Chapte
r12:
Mil
itary
Equip
mentfrom
the
Area
of
the
Mausole
um
and
the
Theate
r
atH
erodiu
m(G
uy
D.S
tiebel)
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432–453
Chapte
r13:
The
Lati
nand
Greek
Inscrib
ed
Pott
ery
from
the
Area
of
the
Tom
b
atH
erodiu
m(A
vner
Ecker)
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Chapte
r14:
The
Hebrew
and
Aram
aic
Inscrip
tions
from
the
Area
of
the
Tom
b
atH
erodiu
m(E
sth
er
Eshel)
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Chapte
r15:
Gem
and
Rin
gfrom
Herodiu
m(M
alk
aH
ershkovit
zand
Shua
Am
orai-
Sta
rk).
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.474–475
Chapte
r16:
Fin
ds
of
Anim
alR
em
ain
sfrom
the
Excavati
ons
on
the
North
ern
Slo
pe
of
Herodiu
m
(A
rea
A),2006–2010
(R
am
Bouchnic
k).
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.476–503
Chapte
r17:
The
Moll
uscs
(Inbar
Kta
lav).
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504–510
Chapte
r18:
Graff
ito
of
aS
hip
and
aB
oat(B
oaz
Zis
su).
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511–514
Con
clu
sio
ns
Synth
esis
and
Archaeolo
gic
al-
His
toric
alD
iscussio
n(R
oiP
orat,
Yakov
Kalm
an,and
RachelC
hachy)
..
..
..
.515–534
Ap
pen
dix
I
The
Geolo
gic
aland
Morpholo
gic
alS
tructu
re
of
Herodiu
mand
the
Quarrie
sfor
Buil
din
gS
tones
and
Fil
lM
ate
ria
ls(S
him
on
Ila
ni,
TseviM
inste
r,and
Danie
lW
achs)
..
..
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..
535–546
Colo
rP
late
s
IS
RA
EL
EX
PL
OR
AT
IO
NS
OC
IE
TY
IN
ST
IT
UT
EO
FA
RC
HA
EO
LO
GY
,H
EB
RE
WU
NIV
ER
SIT
YO
FJE
RU
SA
LE
M
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RU
SA
LE
M2015
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OR
DE
RF
OR
M
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RO
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