May 08, 2007

The Tomb of Herod the Great has been discovered at Herodium.

Flavius Josephus on Herodium.

posted by bobboggis 17 years ago
  • I kept looking at the pictures of that gurt big mound and thinking, :How did they miss that?" Or perhaps there's more to this archaeology lark that meets the eye.
  • They don't make an HTML tag that can convey the intensity of the "Wow" I'm feeling.
  • But it doesn't say why the limestone sarcophagus was particularly special - what makes it special?
  • Honestly, the influence of the people who desperately search for archaeological evidence of anything ever mentioned in the Bible, makes me distrust all such reports. Even when they come from archaeologists affiliated with respectable institutions. I would say the odds are very good next week someone else will debunk this, say it's quite common limestone sarcophagus trim and could belong to anyone. And now I have the JCSuperstar earworm deluxe. ... prove to me that you're divine, change my water into wine. Do that for me, annnnd, I'll let you go free! C'mon, King of the Jews!
  • Lots of stuff in the Bible is historically accurate, no matter what you think of the claims of divinity.
  • Yep, what rocket said. In fact, from things I read, it seems even woolier oral traditions often end up being based on some past reality, like that thing about Troy we discussed a while back.
  • "Roman Empire"? HA HA HA! Boy, you Jesus-freaks sure make up some weird shit!
  • Wait a sec - Herod's tomb was found in Herodium? Where were they looking before?
  • King Herod's tomb desecrated, but discovery 'high point' One look at the picture and I was on the floor groaning with a bad case of punitus. Interesting. I lubs me some history, but I can hear the Jebus freaks banging the drums around the corner already.
  • OK, but when will they find Salome's tomb? Complete with Biblical-era dance accessories and John the Baptist's head in a hatbox? Because that would be groovy.
  • "If the find is confirmed, this will rank as a major archaeological discovery, BBC Jerusalem correspondent Tim Franks says."
     If. Some people tend not to sensationalize the conjecture that archaeological discovery leans toward. Remember that this is an archaeological region that is rife with fraud, hoaxes and an armed Antiquity Authority. On a side note: maybe antiquity dealing is the root, after all, a tomb robber can loot artifacts and, as long as he or she can outrun the IAA, pass through the doorway of a dealer without legal repercussions. This is likely an influence on the grand assertions throughout the region. Of course, looting is punishable by three years or 150K pounds. See the state of IAA affairs here.
  • I kept looking at the pictures of that gurt big mound and thinking, :How did they miss that?" A lot of times logistic decisions have to be made for the research design. In many places massive mounds may seem anthropogenic, but with an abundance of visible features in other parts of the site (such as in Herodium) research goals might lean toward the certainty of, say, subsistence activity finds rather than the possibility of a specific individual's burial - especially when that person's burial would likely defy the more commonly occurring mortuary practices. This more or less depends on the funding and the sources of the funding. It is very hard to write grants when you have a history of failure.
  • It was a silly joke InsolentChimp. I presumed they'd checked it out but thought the tomb was elsewhere.
  • I assumed a little light-heartedness from the second line in your post, but sometimes it's simply amazing how long certain obvious seeming features will go untouched in well researched sites for whatever reasons.
  • Best for last?
  • That's it!