SITE PICTURES > TRIPS > HERODION

Located on the border of the Judean Desert, some 8-km east of Bethlehem, this artificial mountain palace was built by King Herod and named in his honor. At the base is an enormous swimming pool, complete with an island in the center. This site has proven particularly interesting from an archaeological standpoint. Finds on the site include a bathhouse, a collonaded hall and cisterns. Another interesting find is a palace room converted into a synagogue by the Jewish zealots. This synagogue is one of the earliest known in Israel. Jewish rebels used Herodion as a base of operations in both in the Great Revolt (66-70 CE), as well as the Bar Kochba revolt (132-135 CE). The networks of tunnels which riddle the mountain are some of the only material evidence we have of the short-lived Bar Kochba uprising.