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King Herod

Archaeologists uncover a section of the Jerusalem wall built in Hasmonean times (2nd century BCE) in the complex of the Tower of David Jerusalem Museum in the Old City, in a discovery announced on December 8, 2025. (Gabriel Volkovich/ Tower of David Jerusalem Museum)
December 8, 2025, 3:14 pm
2,100-year-old mystery unearthed with dismantled Hasmonean-era wall in Jerusalem
A fortification in the heart of the capital was likely built shortly after the Hanukkah story took place. Now experts are asking why it was systematically taken apart, and by whom
By Rossella Tercatin
Salome (right) with the midwife "Emea" (left), bathing the infant Jesus, is a common figure in Orthodox icons of the Nativity of Jesus; here in a 12th-century fresco from Cappadocia. (Public domain, via Wikipedia)
July 6, 2025, 10:29 am
Who was buried in Salome’s cave: A disciple of Jesus, a midwife or a Jewish queen?
New research suggests that a burial site once venerated by Christian pilgrims likely belonged to a member of Herod’s dynasty rather than a New Testament figure
By Rossella Tercatin
Archaeologists from Bar Ilan University, in cooperation with the Staff Officer of Archaeology, excavated the site of Sartaba/Alexandrium in the Jordan Valley in February 2025. The excavation’s director Dr. Dvir Raviv from Bar Ilan, points to a column capital on the eastern slope of the hill. (Rossella Tercatin/Times of Israel)
March 6, 2025, 5:56 am
Jewish rebels and earthquake rubble: New dig aims to solve a pair of historical enigmas
Sartaba/Alexandrium was built by the Hasmoneans and expanded by Herod. A team of archaeologists has launched a first excavation in 40 years to probe the final days of the fortress
By Rossella Tercatin
Archaeologists from the Hebrew University of Jerusalem finished their second season of excavations at the Hyrcania fortress in the Judean desert in the West Bank in January 2025 in cooperation with the Staff Officer of Archaeology of Judea and Samaria. In the Byzantine compound, they uncovered a medallion mosaic which had been intentionally defaced with a column drum from the Herodian period. (Oren Gutfeld/The Hebrew University of Jerusalem)
February 20, 2025, 2:23 pm
Mikvehs and monks: Vivid hues link rare Jewish and Christian finds in Judean Desert
Archaeologists from the Hebrew University of Jerusalem just concluded their second season of excavations at Hyrcania, where they found colorful Byzantine mosaics and Herodian frescoes
By Rossella Tercatin
Archaeologists from Bar-Ilan University, in cooperation with the staff officer of archaeology, excavated the site of Sartaba/Alexandrium in the Jordan Valley in February 2025. (Yodan Flaytman, staff officer for archaeology in Judea and Samaria)
February 12, 2025, 11:09 am
Inscription found in Alexandrium fortress could shed new light on Jewish Revolt
Israeli researchers decipher an ostracon in a grand 1st-century structure in the Jordan Valley that could prove Jewish rebels used the site in their fight against Rome
By Rossella Tercatin
View of the Baneas cave, associated with Pan worship. (Doron Gahali/courtesy)
December 2, 2024, 9:35 am
In a watery Golan cave, Herod’s great-grandson entertained in the Roman imperial style
An altar dedicated to the cult of Pan was likely converted to a banquet area by Herodian ruler Agrippa II, aligning with the account of Josephus, new research shows
By Gavriel Fiske
Herod the Great, left, and the Second Temple. (Wikimedia Commons/iStock/Jerry Uomala)
March 31, 2024, 5:52 am
Temples, tantrums and tyranny: The peculiar legacy of Judean King Herod the Great
The 1st century BCE ruler played politics in Rome, lavishly rebuilt Judea, executed his own relatives out of paranoia, and is the subject of a new book by Prof. Martin Goodman
By Rich Tenorio
Herod’s calcite-alabaster bathtub found in Kypros fortress (Prof. Amos Frumkin, The Hebrew University of Jerusalem)
May 17, 2022, 4:48 pm
Alabaster for Herod the Great’s lavish bathtubs traced to quarry in Israel
Daughter-father scientific study rules out Egyptian quarries and shows ancient Holy Land industry was potentially much more developed than previously thought
By Amanda Borschel-Dan
The payslip of a Roman soldier found at Masada, believed to be from between 72 and 75 CE (Courtesy)
February 12, 2021, 4:50 pm
Roman soldier’s ancient Masada payslip shows unfair wages go way back
1,900-year-old find shows soldier Gaius Messius was left ‘effectively penniless after payday,’ as entire wage of 50 denarii was nabbed to cover basic expenses
By ToI Staff
Visitors tour the Jerusalem Ramparts Walk on Jerusalem's Old City walls, on December 17, 2019. (Yonatan Sindel/Flash90)
December 5, 2020, 8:57 am
Crowns, crusaders and murder: On Jerusalem’s ramparts, tales of love and lust
A walk atop the Old City’s walls gives visitors a glimpse into the passions of past rulers, including a Christian king, a Turkish sultan, an Armenian princess, and King Herod
By Aviva and Shmuel Bar-Am
Left: 'Christus Pantocrator' at the Cathedral of Cefalù, c. 1130. (Andreas Wahra/ CC-BY-SA/ via wikipedia) Right: The Nazareth Inscription, Bibliothèque nationale in Paris, France. (Journal of Archaeological Science)
April 12, 2020, 12:14 pm
Hi-tech test shatters claim ancient inscription is 1st proof of Christianity
Study indicates the marble bearing the ‘Nazareth Inscription,’ a mysterious 1st century text linked by some to Jesus’s resurrection, was quarried in Greece, not the Holy Land
By Amanda Borschel-Dan
One of the rooms at the new King Herod's Vaults Visitor Center, which opened at the Caesarea National Park on May 29, 2019. (Melanie Lidman/Times of Israel)
May 30, 2019, 6:11 pm
Caesarea opens new NIS 80 million visitor center in reconstructed vaults
Complete reconstruction of ruins can be controversial, but adapting ancient buildings to modern uses is part of a worldwide trend to breathe more life into archaeological sites
By Melanie Lidman
A 2,000-year-old bronze ring with a solitaire gem stone was uncovered in archaeological excavations in the City of David National Park in Jerusalem. (City of David)
December 23, 2018, 9:14 pm
Misplaced 2,000-year-old ring discovered in Jerusalem’s City of David
Unearthed in excavation of the monumental Pilgrims’ Path, the Second Temple-era adornment likely fell after use of a ritual bath, say archaeologists
By Amanda Borschel-Dan
Remains of the Roman basilica at Sebastia in the West Bank, August 2015. (Ilan Ben Zion)
August 7, 2018, 8:21 pm
Palestinians jailed for trying to rob biblical archaeological site
Samaria Military Court sentences 3 men to 36 days in prison after they were caught damaging Sebastia, in northern West Bank
By Michael Bachner
East Jerusalem's Anglican Cathedral of St. George. (Shmuel Bar-Am)
December 25, 2017, 2:52 am
In earthly Jerusalem, the legends of historical churches are a saving grace
King Herod, medieval monks, Crusaders and others play their parts in the colorful stories behind Old City holy sites open to Christmas visitors
By Aviva and Shmuel Bar-Am
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