Herodium
Herodion (Ancient Greek: Ἡρώδειον; Arabic: هيروديون; Hebrew: הרודיון), Herodium (Latin), or Jabal al-Fureidis (Arabic: جبل فريديس, lit. '"Mountain of the Little Paradise"') is an ancient fortress located 12 kilometres (7.5 mi) south of Jerusalem and 5 kilometres (3.1 mi) southeast of Bethlehem. It is located between the villages of Beit Ta'mir, Za'atara and Jannatah. It is identified with the site of Herodium, built by King of Judea Herod the Great built between 23 and 15 BCE. Herodium is 758 meters (2,487 ft) above sea level.
הרודיון جبل فريديس | |
Aerial view of the acropolis of Herodium | |
| Alternative name | Herodion |
|---|---|
| Location | West Bank, Palestine |
| Region | Bethlehem Governorate |
| Coordinates | 31°39′57″N 35°14′29″E |
| Type | Fortification |
| Height | 758 m (2,487 ft) |
| History | |
| Builder | Herod the Great |
| Founded | 22–15 BCE |
| Abandoned | 71 CE and 134/5 CE |
| Periods | Second Temple period, Roman Empire |
| Site notes | |
| Archaeologists | Virgilio Canio Corbo, Stanislao Loffreda, Ehud Netzer, Roi Porat |
| Management | Israel Nature and Parks Authority |
The site is in Area C of the West Bank, formally under the jurisdiction of the Israeli Civil Administration, a body of military officers, and in practice it is administered jointly with the Israel Nature and Parks Authority. Israel asserts that it is entitled to work in the area under the Oslo Accords, but the Palestinian authorities say Israel has no right to undertake digs there or remove artifacts that Israel discovered in excavations there.