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The Hasmonean and Herodian royal winter palaces, or the Hasmonean and Herodian palaces at Jericho, are a complex of Hasmonean and Herodian buildings from the
Second Temple period The Second Temple period or post-exilic period in Jewish history denotes the approximately 600 years (516 BCE – 70 CE) during which the Second Temple stood in the city of Jerusalem. It began with the return to Zion and subsequent reconstructio ...
, which were discovered in the western plain of
Jericho Jericho ( ; , ) is a city in the West Bank, Palestine, and the capital of the Jericho Governorate. Jericho is located in the Jordan Valley, with the Jordan River to the east and Jerusalem to the west. It had a population of 20,907 in 2017. F ...
valley, at Tulul Abu el-'Alayiq, near the place where the
Roman road Roman roads ( ; singular: ; meaning "Roman way") were physical infrastructure vital to the maintenance and development of the Roman state, built from about 300 BC through the expansion and consolidation of the Roman Republic and the Roman Em ...
connecting Jericho with
Jerusalem Jerusalem is a city in the Southern Levant, on a plateau in the Judaean Mountains between the Mediterranean Sea, Mediterranean and the Dead Sea. It is one of the List of oldest continuously inhabited cities, oldest cities in the world, and ...
enters
Wadi Qelt Wadi Qelt (; Qelt is also spelled Qilt and Kelt, sometimes with the Arabic article, el- or al-), in Hebrew Nahal Prat (), formerly Naḥal Faran (Pharan brook), is a valley, riverine gulch or stream ( ', " wadi"; , "nahal") in the West Bank, o ...
. Two tells are located on either side of Wadi Qelt. The
palaces A palace is a large residence, often serving as a royal residence or the home for a head of state or another high-ranking dignitary, such as a bishop or archbishop. The word is derived from the Latin name palātium, for Palatine Hill in Rome whi ...
are evidence of the luxurious lifestyle of the Hasmonean dynasty and
Herod the Great Herod I or Herod the Great () was a History of the Jews in the Roman Empire, Roman Jewish client king of the Herodian kingdom of Judea. He is known for his colossal building projects throughout Judea. Among these works are the rebuilding of the ...
. They made extensive use of
swimming pools A swimming pool, swimming bath, wading pool, paddling pool, or simply pool, is a structure designed to hold water to enable Human swimming, swimming and associated activities. Pools can be built into the ground (in-ground pools) or built abo ...
, bathhouses, ornamental gardens and orchards. The palaces were not far from Jerusalem – 20 km along the ancient Roman road (see "ascent of
Adummim Adummim () is a place-name mentioned in the biblical Book of Joshua in connection with the ascent of Adummim. Location Adummim was apparently on the road between Jerusalem and Jericho in the Judaean desert, today in the West Bank. It is mention ...
").


History of excavations

The site was excavated in the 19th century by
Charles Warren Sir Charles Warren (7 February 1840 – 21 January 1927) was a British Army officer of the Royal Engineers. He was one of the earliest European archaeologists of the Biblical Holy Land, and particularly of the Temple Mount. Much of his military ...
, who attempted to locate the place of Biblical Jericho. After making an archaeological trench, he concluded that this site is from the Roman period. Additional excavations were conducted by the Germans
Ernst Sellin Ernst Sellin (26 May 1867 in Alt Schwerin – 1 January 1946 in Epichnellen bei Eisenach) was a German Protestant theologian. Sellin studied theology and oriental languages. During 1897–1908 he taught at the Protestant faculty of theology in ...
and
Carl Watzinger Carl Watzinger (9 June 1877 in Darmstadt – 8 December 1948 in Tübingen) was a German archaeologist, who with Ernst Sellin, worked on uncovering the site of the ancient city of Jericho (1907–09), and earlier, with Heinrich Kohl (1877–1914), ...
, in 1910–1911, but the results have never been published. In 1950, two expeditions from the United States dug on the site. An ornamental garden with magnificent remains from the time of Herod was discovered north of the southern tell, and labeled "the sunken garden." Farther north were discovered the remains of a building, identified as a gymnasium. After the
Yom Kippur War The Yom Kippur War, also known as the Ramadan War, the October War, the 1973 Arab–Israeli War, or the Fourth Arab–Israeli War, was fought from 6 to 25 October 1973 between Israel and a coalition of Arab world, Arab states led by Egypt and S ...
in 1973, extensive excavations were conducted on site by
archaeologist Archaeology or archeology is the study of human activity through the recovery and analysis of material culture. The archaeological record consists of Artifact (archaeology), artifacts, architecture, biofact (archaeology), biofacts or ecofacts, ...
Ehud Netzer Ehud Netzer (; 13 May 1934 – 28 October 2010) was an Israeli architect, archaeologist and educator, known for his extensive excavations at Herodium, where in 2007 he found the tomb of Herod the Great; and the discovery of a structure defined by ...
. The excavations continued for ten seasons and covered an area of 30 hectares. The excavations also revealed remains of aqueducts to the west of Jericho. At the oasis of Jericho, Netzer uncovered new wings of Herod's winter palace, as well as a Hasmonean (
Maccabean The Maccabees (), also spelled Machabees (, or , ; or ; , ), were a group of Jewish rebel warriors who took control of Judea, which at the time was part of the Seleucid Empire. Its leaders, the Hasmoneans, founded the Hasmonean dynasty, whic ...
) winter palace containing a number of swimming pools and gardens. The complex includes what Netzer identified as a synagogue, built 7050 BC and as such one of the oldest synagogues ever found.


Site description

Survey and excavations show that the site covers an area of 120 hectares, and is only part of Second Temple-period Jericho. A series of winter palaces were discovered, some of which were shown to have been built by the Hasmoneans, and others by Herod the Great, who inherited the older estate and substantially expanded the palatial compound with new buildings. It turned out that the area of the city of Jericho was very broad. South of one of the palaces, in the area that today is the
Aqabat Jaber Aqabat Jaber () is a Palestinian refugee camp in the Jericho Governorate of the eastern West Bank, situated in the Jordan Valley, three kilometers southwest of Jericho. History Aqabat Jaber was established in 1948 on 1,688 dunams of arid land ...
refugee camp, remains of luxurious houses were discovered, scattered over dozens of acres. A royal farm was discovered north of the palaces, covering an area of 450 dunams. A close connection was found between the farm and the winter palaces. Aqueducts, which were built during the Hasmonean period, enabled the construction of the winter palaces and the farm. Two aqueducts brought water to the site from the following springs that flow year-round: * Wadi Qelt: Ein Perat, Ein Mabua, Ein Qelt. * Nahal Na'aran: Ein Noema, Ein Duyuk (or Duk), Ein Shusha.


Hasmonean palace

The Hasmonean winter palace, at the northern part of the site, consisted of the following structures: * The main building * Swimming pool complex * Southern division ("twin palaces") The Hasmonean palace was built on a hill overlooking the city of Jericho. The palace was built by
John Hyrcanus I John Hyrcanus (; ; ) was a Hasmonean ( Maccabean) leader and Jewish High Priest of Israel of the 2nd century BCE (born 164 BCE, reigned from 134 BCE until he died in 104 BCE). In rabbinic literature he is often referred to as ''Yoḥanan Cohen ...
(134–104 BCE) and believed to have been fortified during the reign of
Alexander Jannaeus Alexander Jannaeus ( , English: "Alexander Jannaios", usually Latinised to "Alexander Jannaeus"; ''Yannaʾy''; born Jonathan ) was the second king of the Hasmonean dynasty, who ruled over an expanding kingdom of Judaea from 103 to 76 BCE. ...
(103–76 BCE). A strong
earthquake An earthquakealso called a quake, tremor, or tembloris the shaking of the Earth's surface resulting from a sudden release of energy in the lithosphere that creates seismic waves. Earthquakes can range in intensity, from those so weak they ...
in 31 BCE destroyed the palace. Evidence to this was found in different parts of the complex. On its site King Herod built an artificial tell, or mound, on which he built his second palace. The establishment of the mound resulted in coverage of the Hasmonean palace, and thus parts of it were preserved, such as a building wall remaining 7 metres high. The main structure of the Hasmonean palace was 50 by 50 metres. Elements of the building were as was customary for luxury palaces in the area: * Rooms were decorated with colorful
frescoes Fresco ( or frescoes) is a technique of mural painting executed upon freshly laid ("wet") lime plaster. Water is used as the vehicle for the dry-powder pigment to merge with the plaster, and with the setting of the plaster, the painting become ...
, imitating marble. *
Stucco Stucco or render is a construction material made of aggregates, a binder, and water. Stucco is applied wet and hardens to a very dense solid. It is used as a decorative coating for walls and ceilings, exterior walls, and as a sculptural and ...
decorations in the form of building stones. * An unroofed central courtyard. * The water flowed into the swimming pools and buildings through clay and lead pipes, buried in the ground, and aqueducts supplied water to gardens and orchards. Remains were found of two pairs of swimming pools: a small pair west of the palace, and a large pair north of it. It is speculated that the pools were the focus of entertainment and enjoyment of the inhabitants of the palace. Perhaps they are also the place where, according to historian
Josephus Flavius Josephus (; , ; ), born Yosef ben Mattityahu (), was a Roman–Jewish historian and military leader. Best known for writing '' The Jewish War'', he was born in Jerusalem—then part of the Roman province of Judea—to a father of pr ...
,
Aristobulus III Aristobulus III (53–36 BCE) was the last scion of the Hasmonean royal house, brother of Herod the Great's wife Mariamne, and grandson of Hyrcanus II and Aristobulus II. He was a favourite of the people on account of his noble descent and hand ...
(53–36 BC), the last high priest from the Hasmonean dynasty, was drowned. South of the large pools was a luxurious 21 by 17 metres building, the so-called pavilion, built in the style of a Doric temple. An axis of symmetry passed through the pools, the open courtyard, and the temple north of them. The "twin palaces" were two surprisingly similar buildings. The hypothesis is that they were built by Queen Shlomtzion (ruled 67–76 BCE) for her two sons, Hyrcanus and Aristobulus, in order to soften the rivalry between them that lasted nearly thirty years. The size of the palaces was 25 by 25 metres. Each of the two palaces contained a luxurious bathhouse. Many ritual baths were found around the palace, required by their priestly owners, who had to be ritually purified before eating
terumah A ''terumah'' (), the priestly dues or heave offering, is a type of offering in Judaism. The word is generally used for offerings to God, but can also refer to gifts to a human. The word ''terumah'' refers to various types of offerings, but mos ...
. A ritual bath for vessels was also found, containing the remains of 800 bowls. The palace also served the last Hasmonean king, Antigonus Matityahu II (r. 40–37 BCE), as evidenced by a hoard of 20 coins.


Herod's first palace

The first palace was situated on the southern bank of Wadi Qelt, on land leased from
Cleopatra Cleopatra VII Thea Philopator (; The name Cleopatra is pronounced , or sometimes in both British and American English, see and respectively. Her name was pronounced in the Greek dialect of Egypt (see Koine Greek phonology). She was ...
, Queen of Egypt, who received it as a gift from
Mark Antony Marcus Antonius (14 January 1 August 30 BC), commonly known in English as Mark Antony, was a Roman people, Roman politician and general who played a critical role in the Crisis of the Roman Republic, transformation of the Roman Republic ...
in 36 BCE.Jericho- The Winter Palace of King Herod
/ref> Meanwhile, in the north, the Hasmonean palace was still standing. The palace was a rectangular building, 86 by 46 meters. In the center was an open courtyard with perimeter columns and a central pool draining the rainwater. In the palace were a magnificent hall, a luxurious bathhouse, and a pair of deep pools, which were apparently ritual baths. The palace was exposed in 1951 by Pritchard, who thought it was a gymnasium. After excavation of the palace, it was covered over with sand.


Herod's second palace

The second palace was built in 31 BCE. Herod won the trust of Emperor
Augustus Gaius Julius Caesar Augustus (born Gaius Octavius; 23 September 63 BC – 19 August AD 14), also known as Octavian (), was the founder of the Roman Empire, who reigned as the first Roman emperor from 27 BC until his death in A ...
and in return received the Jericho area he had previously lost to the by then defunct Queen Cleopatra. After the earthquake of 31 BCE Herod decided to build a second palace on the ruins of the Hasmonean palace. He combined the pools of the Hasmonean palace into one large pool, 32 by 18 meters. The second palace (north of Wadi Qelt), along with the first palace (south of Wadi Qelt), served Herod for residential and ceremonial purposes. A unique feature of the second palace was its residential wing, which contained a designated recreation area. The villa was built on an artificial tell covering the Hasmonean palace: 35 by 43 meters tall, eight meters above the surroundings, providing a view of the estate's orchards and the surroundings. The second palace was full of gardens. In the pleasure wing were the big pool and a bathhouse, which has been well preserved.


Herod's third palace

The third palace was the most magnificent of the palaces. It was established on both sides of Wadi Qelt.
Ehud Netzer Ehud Netzer (; 13 May 1934 – 28 October 2010) was an Israeli architect, archaeologist and educator, known for his extensive excavations at Herodium, where in 2007 he found the tomb of Herod the Great; and the discovery of a structure defined by ...
, the editor of excavations at the site, believe that palace residents could see water flowing in the riverbed for up to two months a year, letting the viewers feel like they were on the edge of an actual river. The builders, who apparently were from
Italy Italy, officially the Italian Republic, is a country in Southern Europe, Southern and Western Europe, Western Europe. It consists of Italian Peninsula, a peninsula that extends into the Mediterranean Sea, with the Alps on its northern land b ...
, used construction methods that were common in their homeland such as: *
Opus reticulatum ''Opus reticulatum'' (also known as reticulate work) is a facing used for concrete walls in Ancient Roman architecture, Roman architecture from about the first century BCE to the early first century CE. Facings are a type of polygonal masonry us ...
– small stones, 10 cm by 10 cm, placed in diagonal rows. In Jericho they were anointed with white or colored plaster * Opus Koodroas – rectangular stones Local mud bricks were also layered on top of stone construction. After being covered with plaster, there was no difference between them and the models from Italy. The third palace of Herod, in the center of the site, included the following buildings: * The north wing * Sunken garden * The southern mound * Big pool


Industrial area

The industrial area was next to residential buildings and service buildings.


Royal estate

In the estate a huge wine-press was found, which was probably used for making wine and "date honey". Farm crops, according to literary sources, were:
palm trees The Arecaceae () is a family of perennial, flowering plants in the monocot order Arecales. Their growth form can be climbers, shrubs, tree-like and stemless plants, all commonly known as palms. Those having a tree-like form are colloquially ...
,
persimmon The persimmon () is the edible fruit of a number of species of trees in the genus '' Diospyros''. The most widely cultivated of these is the Chinese and Japanese kaki persimmon, ''Diospyros kaki''. In 2022, China produced 77% of the world's p ...
resin, and sap, which produced perfumes and medicines. Some of them were sent overseas. It was an intelligent use of the warm climate of the place.


References


External links


The Hasmonean Winter Palaces
at JewishJericho.org.il


Further reading

*
Ehud Netzer Ehud Netzer (; 13 May 1934 – 28 October 2010) was an Israeli architect, archaeologist and educator, known for his extensive excavations at Herodium, where in 2007 he found the tomb of Herod the Great; and the discovery of a structure defined by ...
, "The winter palaces and royal estate in Jericho", in "Jericho and its environs", ax – bi monthly magazine for knowledge of the country, published by Ariel – Jerusalem, 1983 * Ehud Netzer (director). "Hasmonean and Herodian Palaces at Jericho: Final Reports of the 1973–1987 Excavations", Jerusalem:
Israel Exploration Society The Israel Exploration Society (''IES'') (Hebrew:החברה לחקירת ארץ ישראל ועתיקותיה – Hakhevra Lekhakirat Eretz Yisrael Va'atikoteha), originally the Jewish Palestine Exploration Society, is a society devoted to histor ...
& Institute of Archaeology, The Hebrew University of Jerusalem **Ehud Netzer (2001). Volume I: ''Stratigraphy and Architecture'', **Ehud Netzer, Rachel Laureys-Chachy & Ya'akov Meshorer (2004). Volume II: ''The Coins'', **Rachel Bar-Nathan (2004). Volume III: ''The Pottery'', **Silvia Rozenberg (2008). Volume IV: ''The Decoration of Herod's Third Palace at Jericho'', **Rachel Bar-Nathan & Judit Gärtner (2013). Volume V:
The Finds from Jericho and Cypros
', {{ISBN, 978-965-221-090-6 Ancient Jericho Buildings and structures in Jericho Archaeological sites in the West Bank Biblical archaeology Establishments in the Hasmonean Kingdom