Archeologists from the Hebrew University of Jerusalem believe they have found the tomb of King Herod at Herodium, a fortified palace built by Herod 12 kilometers south of Jerusalem.

Professor Ehud Netzer of the university’s Institute of Archaeology told reporters Tuesday that the tomb was discovered when a team of researchers found pieces of a limestone sarcophagus believed to belong to the ancient king.

Although there were no bones in the container, he said the sarcophagus’ location and ornate appearance indicated it was Herod’s …

The professor, who is considered one of the leading experts on King Herod, has conducted archeological digs at Herodium since 1972 in an attempt to locate the grave and tomb.

It will be interesting to see how this discovery plays out in comparison to the lost Jesus tomb fiasco back in February/March of this year. New Testament scholar Ben Witherington weighs in on this:

Why should we believe this claim after the bogus one about the tomb of Jesus? In the first place the locale is right. The Herodium was a fortress which Herod built near Jerusalem so he would have a place to flee to in a hurry if an enemy was closing in. It is a fascinating site which involved the feat of shaving off several hills in order to build up the one on top of which this fortress is perched. There is also the fact that this claim by Netzer comports with what Josephus tells us about the demise of Herod the not so Great.

For more information on this blog about the Jesus Family Tomb, see the following articles:

• The Rabbi, the Historian and the Resurrection
• How to Ensure Bias in a Presentation
• The Lost Tomb Losing More Ground
• The Jesus Family Tomb and Bayes’ Theorum – You Do the Math!

HT: Between Two Worlds

Related post: Who’s Buried in Herod’s Tomb?