Another of Herod’s remarkable feats of engineering was his palace-fortress of Herodium, located on a prominent hill about three miles [5 km] southeast of Bethlehem. It consisted of two main parts: Upper Herodium and Lower Herodium. The upper part included an imposing palace-fortress topped by a five-story east tower​—now in ruins—​that once dominated the skyline. Two years ago international news agencies reported that remains of Herod’s tomb had been discovered on the upper slopes of Herodium, stating that this confirmed Josephus’ first-century report of Herod’s funeral procession there.

Lower Herodium once had a complex of palace annexes and offices. The focal point was a Roman-style garden​—embellished with columns—​encircling an immense pool with a decorative island in the middle. The pool was almost double the size of a modern Olympic pool. It served as a reservoir, but it was also used for swimming and even for boating. The water came via aqueduct from a spring three and a half miles [5 km] away.

Some years ago a visitor said this about the surrounding landscape: “To the east, we could see all the way to the Dead Sea. Here before us was the Judean wilderness where David successfully eluded his pursuer, Saul. Seeing the ruggedness of the territory, we understood how he could do so, especially since from his youth he must have been very familiar with the territory. We thought, too, that, while pasturing his sheep, David perhaps often climbed this very hill for the magnificent view we were enjoying.”

[Picture on page 26]

HERODIUM

An artist’s rendering