An archaeologist from Israel has publicly stated that he believes he has discovered Ancient King Herod's tomb. Herod was the ruler of Judea in 1st century BC. Ehud Netzer, a professor from the Hebrew University in Israel said he found the tomb, which is located slightly south of Jerusalem, at a site called Herodium. Herod was known to have administered the Massacre of the Innocent, and was one of the bloodiest Roman rulers of all-time. Prof. Netzer had been working around Herodium since 1972, and only recently notified archaeologists of his thoughts on where exactly the tomb might be located. Historical accounts by scholars such as Josephus Flavius, from as far back as the 1st century BC were used to locate the tomb. A passage was written about a grand staircase being built for Herod's funeral procession, and this is what led to the eventual discovery. If the find is indeed what it is believed to be, this could be one of the most significant archaeological finds in recent history.
Archaeology is quite an interesting topic, and is an essential part of discovering the roots of any major culture. I can only imagine the thrill that some archaeologists feel when they make a major discovery, such as this one. Hopefully this turns out to be King Herod's tomb as then we can read even further into what truly went on during ancient times. Archaeology can be used as a great tool to inquiring into the past, and with constant dedication to this practice I would imagine that many, many more stories will be uncovered and studied by all.
1 comment:
Quite an interesting topic here. Over the past several years there have been several major discoveries, some of which are real, some of which are fake - yet all of them are captivating, in that, we all want to know more about the past. It is fascinating to dig up something tangible that has to do with things we've heard our whole lives, like King Herod, who is a prominant character in the Bible. So it is neat to see this, but it also raises the question...is it real? Is this actually King Herod's tomb? or is this simply another peice of rock, probably something significant, but not nearly as important as what it's claimed to be? Until further evidence is found, and research done to back up their claims...we'll never know. Although, with the technology we have today, you can bet it's more likely true than not.
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