Editing Herod the Great (section)

== Herod's tomb ==
{{Main|Herodium}}
[[File:Herods grave israel museum 2013 mrach by history on the map efi elian.jpg|thumb|Herod's sarcophagus, displayed at the [[Israel Museum]]]]
The location of Herod's tomb is documented by [[Josephus]], who writes, "And the body was carried two hundred [[furlong]]s, to Herodium, where he had given order to be buried."<ref>{{harvnb|''The Jewish War''|loc=5.33.1}}. On the historical circumstances of the building of Herodium, see: Jonathan Bourgel & Roi Porat, "[https://www.academia.edu/45647662/Herodium_as_a_Reflection_of_Herod_s_Policy_in_Judea_and_Idumea Herodium as a Reflection of Herod's Policy in Judea and Idumea]," Zeitschrift des Deutschen Palästina-Vereins 135/2 (2019), 188–209.</ref> Professor [[Ehud Netzer]], an archaeologist from the [[Hebrew University]], read the writings of Josephus and focused his search on the vicinity of the pool and its surroundings. An article in the ''New York Times'' states,
<blockquote>Lower Herodium consists of the remains of a large palace, a race track, service quarters, and a monumental building whose function is still a mystery. Perhaps, says Ehud Netzer, who excavated the site, it is Herod's [[mausoleum]]. Next to it is a pool, almost twice as large as modern [[Olympic-size pool]]s.<ref>{{Cite web |last=Rosovsky |first=Nitza |date=24 April 1983 |title=Discovering Herod's Israel |url=https://www.nytimes.com/1983/04/24/travel/discovering-herod-s-israel.html |website=The New York Times}}</ref></blockquote>[[File:Herodium from above 2.jpg|thumb|Aerial photo of [[Herodium]] from the southwest]]

On May 7, 2007, an Israeli team of archaeologists of Hebrew University, led by Netzer, announced they had discovered the tomb.<ref>{{Cite news |last=Barkat |first=Amiram |date=7 May 2007 |title=Archeologist: King Herod's tomb desecrated, but discovery 'high point' |url=http://www.haaretz.com/news/archeologist-king-herod-s-tomb-desecrated-but-discovery-high-point-1.219914 |access-date=7 May 2013 |work=[[Haaretz]]}}</ref><ref>Associated Press (7 May 2007). [http://www.foxnews.com/story/0,2933,270575,00.html "Israeli Archaeologist Finds Tomb of King Herod"] {{Webarchive|url=https://web.archive.org/web/20081206050422/http://www.foxnews.com/story/0,2933,270575,00.html |date=2008-12-06 }}, [[Fox News Channel|''FOX News'']], Accessed 7 May 2013.</ref><ref>[http://www.isracast.com/Articles/Article.aspx?ID=634 "Herod's Tomb Discovered"] {{webarchive|url=https://web.archive.org/web/20070814131042/http://www.isracast.com/Articles/Article.aspx?ID=634 |date=2007-08-14 }} ''IsraCast'', May 8, 2007. Accessed 7 May 2013.</ref><ref>Kalman, Matthew (8 May 2007). [http://www.boston.com/news/world/middleeast/articles/2007/05/08/herods_tomb_reportedly_found_inside_his_desert_palace/ "Herod's tomb reportedly found inside his desert palace"] ''[[The Boston Globe]]'', Accessed 7 May 2013.</ref> The site is located at the exact location given by Josephus, atop tunnels and water pools, at a flattened desert site, halfway up the hill to Herodium, {{cvt|12|km|mi}} south of Jerusalem.<ref>{{Cite news |last=Weizman |first=Steve |date=8 May 2007 |title=Archaeologists Find Tomb of King Herod |url=http://usatoday30.usatoday.com/tech/science/2007-05-07-3709859735_x.htm |access-date=7 May 2013 |work=USA Today |agency=Associated Press}}</ref> The tomb contained a broken [[sarcophagus]] but no remains of a body.

Not all scholars agree with Netzer: in an article for the ''[[Palestine Exploration Quarterly]]'', archaeologist David Jacobson ([[University of Oxford]]) wrote that "these finds are not conclusive on their own and they also raise new questions."<ref>{{Cite journal |last=Jacobson |first=David |date=January 2007 |title=Editorial: Has Herod's Place of Burial Been Found? |url=https://www.academia.edu/40159748 |journal=Palestine Exploration Quarterly |volume=139 |issue=3 |pages=207–208 |doi=10.1179/003103207x227346 |s2cid=162335572 |doi-access=free}}</ref> In October 2013, archaeologists Joseph Patrich and Benjamin Arubas also challenged the identification of the tomb as that of Herod. According to Patrich and Arubas, the tomb is too modest to be Herod's and has several unlikely features. Roi Porat, who replaced Netzer as excavation leader after the latter's death, stood by the identification.<ref>{{Cite news |last=Hasson |first=Nir |date=October 11, 2013 |title=Archaeological stunner: Not Herod's Tomb after all? |url=http://www.haaretz.com/jewish/archaeology/.premium-1.551881 |work=Haaretz}}</ref>

The [[Israel Nature and Parks Authority]] and the [[Gush Etzion Regional Council]] intend to recreate the tomb out of a light plastic material, a proposal that has received strong criticism from major Israeli archeologists.<ref>{{Cite news |last=Hasson |first=Nir |date=29 January 2012 |title=Top Archaeologists Condemn Israeli Plan to Rebuild Ancient Tomb |url=https://www.haaretz.com/2012-01-29/ty-article/top-archaeologists-condemn-israeli-plan-to-rebuild-ancient-tomb/0000017f-f569-ddde-abff-fd6d85dc0000 |work=Haaretz}}</ref>