From Haaretz.com: Hebrew University: Herod’s tomb and grave found at Herodium.
The Hebrew University of Jerusalem announced Monday night that it has uncovered the grave and tomb of King Herod, who ruled Judea for the Roman empire from circa 37 BCE. (…)
The tomb was discovered by Hebrew University Professor Ehud Netzer, who is considered one of the leading experts on King Herod. Netzer has conducted archeological digs at Herodium since 1972 in an attempt to locate the grave and tomb.
The discovery solves one of Israel’s greatest archeological mysteries. (…) The majority of researchers had believed that Herod was in fact buried at Herodium, based on the writings of the ancient Jewish historian Flavius Josephus, but multiple excavations at the site failed to locate the grave.
Netzer’s successful dig focused on a different part of the site than previous excavations, between the upper part of Herodium and the site’s two palaces.
Herodium, a fortified palace built by Herod some 12 kilometers south of Jerusalem, was destroyed by the Romans in 71 CE. [continue]
Grave was “desecrated”? The implication is that the grave was a holy place…but perhaps people feel that way about graves in general. Personally, I would rather go back to the earth as a part of the natural cycle of life and death. Nothing sacred about it, except perhaps in the larger sense that we are all part of the Universe, interconnected, part of the whole.
I love it when archaeologists find ruins in the place where everyone said they would be but nobody believed them.