Pictures: King Herod's VIP Box Excavated

Stairways to Heaven

Photograph courtesy Hebrew University

Now protected by wooden walls and a steel roof (center right in this aerial picture), King Herod's royal theater box lies at the foot of the artificial mountain created as a base for Herod's now ruined mausoleum south of Bethlehem. (See pictures of King Herod's mausoleum site.)

Shortly before Herod's death in 4 B.C.—probably less than ten years after its construction—"the theater and other structures were dismantled, so that the mountain would have a clean cone shape to host his grave," Netzer said. "The mausoleum stood out but all the other structures were demolished.

"The moment a decision was made to dismantle the theater, it was used as housing by site managers and laborers responsible for the reconstruction work," he added. "They scrawled graffiti on the walls while they stayed there, mostly in Greek and Aramaic."

Once the laborers moved in, they subdivided the room with crude walls (see previous photo) and built a bread oven.

Published October 13, 2010

Window on the Past

Photograph courtesy Hebrew University

"There is nothing like this in any other location" in what's now Israel and the Palestinian territories, Ehud Netzer said of the paintings and intricate moldings in King Herod's theater box. But the style was fairly common across the Mediterranean and appears to reflect the Roman origins of the Jewish monarch's power.

"Our art history expert said, 'Hang on, this is something very familiar from Italy,'" in terms of both style and method, Netzer said. "The technique used here was not particularly accepted in this region; it was secco rather than fresco"—painted on dry, rather than moist, plaster.

Depicting natural landscapes, nautical scenes, animals, and the Nile River, the paintings most closely resemble others in the roughly contemporary Villa Imperiale at Pompeii.

(Take a King Herod quiz.)

Published October 13, 2010

Obstructed View at Herod's Theater

Photograph courtesy Hebrew University

Despite the hands-on approach displayed by an unnamed worker here, excavating the dry-plaster paintings of in King Herod's theater box was something of a white-glove affair.

"We had a problem. The moment you expose the secco, it is like powder. It can very quickly disintegrate," said archaeologist Ehud Netzer, whose team is working with experts from the Israel Museum to preserve the artworks.

The Egyptian scenes in the paintings reflected a common motif of the time, said Netzer, who recalled a recurring artistic theme from his own life.

"When I was young, I remember that almost every house in Israel had a painting of a Swiss landscape—a sort of ideal scene with mountains, snow, and trees," he said. For many ancient Mediterraneans, the Egyptian cultural center of Alexandria held a similar allure, he added, "and the Nile likewise became a sort of element that was often depicted in art."

(See pictures of King Herod's monumental creations.)

Published October 13, 2010

The Herodium Bowl

Photograph courtesy Hebrew University

While excavating the artificial mountain built for the burial of Rome-backed King Herod, Ehud Netzer's team began to make out structures from the the mound's pre-mausoleum days. (Related: "What Disease Killed King Herod?")

"We saw the circle typical of Roman theaters, then we made a cut and very quickly found a slope with a half circle of bench seating. ... I imagine there were dramatic and comedic productions, whatever was common in the world of Roman theater at the time."

Published October 13, 2010

Graphic Scene

Photograph courtesy Hebrew University

Before the artificial mountain took shape, King Herod's royal amphitheater likely backed up against blue sky, as shown in an illustration. Orange and red designs trace the inner walls of the newly excavated royal box, which measures 26 feet deep by 23 feet wide by 20 feet tall (eight by seven by six meters).

"Theatergoers were unable to see the stage from the box, so during performances they would move forward to the top of the seating area," Netzer said. "During intermissions, the king and his guests would eat and drink wine and have a good time."

Published October 13, 2010

Aged Beef

Photograph courtesy Hebrew University

In the Roman-style "windows" painted in King Herod's theater box, domestic animals horned their way into an art form generally reserved "unrealistic" tableaux, such as still lifes and theater scenes, according to a Hebrew University press release.

According to Netzer, the pictures are not only Roman style but Roman made. "It was a one-time mission," perhaps executed in advance of Roman leader Marcus Agrippa's visit to Judea, he said. "The artists came, they painted, and they returned to Italy."

Published October 13, 2010