After two thousand years new discoveries have come to light in Herod's Palace, known as Herodion, southeast of the city of Bethlehem. Among the most important findings there is the discovery of a royal hall, built in 15 B.C. to receive Marcus Agrippa, a close collaborator of the Roman Emperor Caesar Augustus. The proud King Herod, accompanying him to the royal hall, surprised his high-ranking guest with this work. MARC ABRAHAMI Responsible for the conservation of the works of art of the Herodion - Israel Antiquities Authority "These types of frescoes could not be found in the territories of the Roman Empire, but only in Rome. Most of these are drawings made on dry plaster, because the authors did not have much time available before Agrippa's visit." The lower part of the fresco depicts reddish marble walls, while the upper part features vertical reliefs representing marble columns with engraved floral motifs. Large windows are also depicted over landscapes, in which animals such as wolves and deer can be glimpsed. Three windows are painted on each side of the room. A multimedia video, containing a simulation of the room at the time of King Herod, helps the visitor to better understand the frescoes, which also depict landscapes related to Agrippa's military victories. Among the most important there are the battle of Actium against Mark Antony and Cleopatra and the defeat of the Egyptian army in 31 BC. Herod built, under this royal hall, a small theater, to emphasize the importance given to his guest, Agrippa. FUAD ABU TA”A Restorer - Israeli Antiquities Authority "The columns you see above were not in the hallway in front of the palace guest room: the stones that make them up were scattered around the site, and we then brought them together." After visiting the royal hall, Herod accompanied his guest through the royal corridor leading to the mountaintop palace to admire the breathtaking view. YASHI YAHAV Dir. staff conservation of Herodion - Israeli Authority for nature and parks "We are in the royal corridor at the entrance to the palace, and on the other side we see three floors of arches - there are fourteen in total - all perfectly preserved. The function of these arches is to support the artificial mountain." The passageway between the walls of the upper palace was meticulously designed so that fresh air could flow into the depths of the palace and into the gardens, while the steps were placed in the sheltered area of the mountain, in the direction in which the winds were blowing, so that the corridor could remain cool throughout the day, even on the hot summer days typical of this semi-desert region. Other archaeological discoveries include a Roman bath, on whose outer wall a cross was engraved in Byzantine times. YASHI YAHAV Dir staff conservation of Herodion - Israeli Authority for nature and parks "The Roman bath consisted of a hot room, in the middle a warm room and then a cold room, so that the body did not suffer a thermal shock." A Roman bath that is also distinguished by its unique dome. YASHI YAHAV Dir staff conservation of Herodion - Israeli Authority for nature and parks "It is the oldest remaining intact dome in the entire Middle East." During previous excavations a bronze ring was also found, decorated with a jar of wine, bearing the inscription in Greek "Pilate", the Roman procurator linked to the story of the trial of Christ. Excavations have also brought to light a press, not yet presented to the public. YASHI YAHAV Dir staff conservation of Herodion - Israeli Authority for nature and parks "This is a very large container with a capacity of four hundred liters of wine. We see here very big containers for the preservation of wine. The inside of the jars were lined with a substance to preserve the liquid, and on the bottom we found sediments of wine, while in that container I found seeds undergoing fermentation, which means that not only was wine stored here, but King Herod's wine was produced here." The Herodion remains a mystery, excavations have in fact covered only 25% of the mountain, and there are dozens of other areas and tunnels that have not yet been excavated and whose extent is unknown. Read More