http://d.hatena.ne.jp/sumita-m/20070424/1177430479で「ヘロデ王」の名前にちょろっと触れたのだけれど、ヘロデ王の墓がベツレヘム郊外にて発見されたというニュース。
GuardianとBoston Globeの記事；
King Herod's grave uncovered in hilltop fortressConal Urquhart in Jerusalem
Tuesday May 8, 2007Guardian Unlimited
Archaeologists have unearthed the grave of King Herod the Great, the ruler of Jerusalem who attempted to kill Jesus soon after his birth, it was announced today.Professor Ehud Netzer, of the Hebrew University in Jerusalem, said that he had finally located the king's last resting place in Herodium, Herod's fortified palace on a hilltop outside Jerusalem, after a 35-year search.
"This is significant because of Herod's importance to Christianity and Judaisim and the number of buildings he left behind," he said.
Herod is best known for the Slaughter of the Innocents, which is recounted in the Gospel According To Matthew. On learning of the birth of Jesus, Herod instructed the three wise men to find Jesus so he could also worship him.
The wise men realised that Herod meant to kill Jesus and warned Joseph to flee with his family. When Herod discovered that he had been tricked, he ordered the killing of all boys under the age of two to protect himself from the new "king".
Historians and archaeologists believed that Herod was buried close to the hilltop fortress he built on a man-made mountain near Bethlehem but despite decades of excavation the site has never been located.
Around 30 years ago, archaeologists found the estate that Herod built for his grave on the slopes below the fort. The king built two monuments, a ritual bath and a long narrow road in preparation for his death. Prof Netzer followed a careful trail of clues before discovering Herod's mausoleum three weeks ago.
Prof Netzer believes that Herod originally intended to be interred on the estate but changed his mind in old age and decided to be buried further up the hillside. He discovered a 6.5m-wide staircase that ascended the mountain and led to the remains of the mausoleum - the podium of the sarcophagus and the broken remains of the main structure.
Around the site were scattered hundreds or pieces of stone that made up a 2.5m-long sarcophagus, which was decorated with rosettes. Prof Netzer said that the quality of the sarcophagus meant it could only have been made for Herod. There were no signs of bones at the site.
Prof Netzer said that the sarcophagus had been deliberately destroyed, probably by Jews rebelling against Rome in 66AD, who would have regarded Herod as a puppet of the Romans.
Herod was appointed King of the Jews by the Roman senate and he conquered Judea in 37BC. During his 34-year reign he executed several members of his immediate family to preserve his rule. He was a prosperous ruler, building forts that can be seen today at Caeseria, Masada and Herodium. Herod also greatly expanded the Jewish temple in Jerusalem, the remains of which include the Western Wall, Judaism's holiest site.
http://www.guardian.co.uk/print/0,,329813937-103552,00.html
ヘロデ王というと、Guardianの記事でも言及されている悪行で名高いわけだが、Alick Isaacsのいう人のThe History of Jerusalem -- The Stairway to Heavenという連続講義の中の”The Rise of Herod”*1には、
Herod's tomb reportedly found inside his desert palace
Ruled at time of Jesus' birthBy Matthew Kalman, Globe Correspondent | May 8, 2007
JERUSALEM -- The tomb of King Herod, the legendary Jewish monarch and ally of the Romans who ruled at the time of Jesus' birth, has been discovered in one of his palaces 2,000 years after his death, the Hebrew University of Jerusalem announced last night.
A Hebrew University team found the grave at Herodion, a stunning volcano-shaped desert fortress 5 miles southeast of Bethlehem. The team was led by Professor Ehud Netzer, who has been researching the site since 1972.
Herod the Great ruled the ancient kingdom of Judea from around 37 BC to 4 BC.
He built lavish palaces, seaports, aqueducts, and temples, including the magnificent Temple Mount in Jerusalem, the Tomb of the Patriarchs in Hebron, and the vast Mediterranean seaport complex and hippodrome at Caesarea.
The massive stones of the outer wall of the Temple Mount still stand today in the Old City of Jerusalem, where they are known as the Western Wall.
He also constructed an elegant winter palace on the north face of Masada, an imposing mesa overlooking the Dead Sea where Jewish rebel forces held out for a year against three Roman legions, decades after Herod's death.
Herodion, a series of underground tunnels hewn out of a mountain and topped with a magnificent palace complete with bathhouses, is regarded as one of the most astonishing engineering feats of the ancient world.
Herod was descended from the Edomites, a tribe of ancient enemies of the Jews who converted to Judaism in about 120 BC. When Palestine was under Roman rule, Herod's father became chief minister of Judea. Herod was made governor of Galilee when he was just 25 years old.
After the assassination of Julius Caesar, Herod became a protege of Mark Antony and Caesar's great-nephew Octavian.
In 39 BC, Herod invaded Judea to win the country back for the Romans and was made king.
The location of Herod's grave has long been a mystery among archeologists. The Roman historian Josephus Flavius wrote that Herod was buried at Herodion, but the grave had not been found until now. It seemed unlikely that a monarch who spent such huge sums on erecting monuments and palaces that have lasted for centuries did not plan his own colossal tomb.
http://www.boston.com/news/world/middleeast/articles/2007/05/08/herods_tomb_reportedly_found_inside_his_desert_palace?mode=PF
とある。彼はイェルサレムにソロモン王以来の繁栄をもたらした。また、この文章からは彼の〈マージナル・マン〉としての孤立が伝わってくる。これは彼が猶太と羅馬の間に引き裂かれていただけでなく、Boston Globeの記事でも言及されているように、彼の父が猶太に敵対する異民族でありながら、猶太教に改宗し、猶太社会に組み入れられたということとも関係あるのだろう*2。
The era of Roman rule begins with the reign of King Herod from 37 BCE to 4 BCE. This is undoubtedly a period of tremendous prosperity and growth. During Herod's rule the city of Jerusalem was never attacked nor did it even face the prospect of destruction. The city grew, the economy boomed, new buildings were built and market places opened in new, busy streets. Herod, who faced no threats from without proved his virility, his greatness and power by building. Without the opportunity of leaving his mark in combat, he turned to architecture changing the face of the city of Jerusalem. He built himself a magnificent palace surrounded by three great tall towers; he built the fortress of Massada; the city of Caeseria and most important of all he refurbished the Second Temple. Sceptical psycho-historians have said of Herod that he must have had an 'edifice' complex!The years of Herod's rule are generally considered, along with the rule of King Solomon, as the golden age of Jerusalem. During these years Jerusalem enjoyed international fame as one of the most beautiful cities in the world. Herod's Temple in Jerusalem was surely one of the most magnificent, if not the most magnificent, of structures erected in antiquity. But these were tense and ambivalent times. The cultural identity of the holy city was as confused as the Jewish identity of the king himself. I mentioned last week that Herod was a product of the forced conversion of the Idumieans by John Hyrcanus in 113 BCE. These converts were not quite Jewish in culture even although they remained Jewish in religious practice. Herod became king of Jerusalem because on the one hand the Romans considered him a Jew on whom they may impose their authority; but they knew also that he was not recognised as a Jew amongst the people over whom he ruled. He did not enjoy their affections and was therefore obligated to Rome in order to maintain his crown.
Herod was a bridge between Rome and Jerusalem. He was a man who lived in total isolation; a Jew in the eyes of the Romans and a Roman in the eyes of the Jews.
*1:http://www.jafi.org.il/education/juice/2000/jerusalem/j3k-6.html
*2:この改宗については、Alick Isaacs氏のhttp://www.jafi.org.il/education/juice/2000/jerusalem/j3k-5.htmlを参照されたい。
