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{{short description|Hilltop palace in Jordan}}
{{short description|Hilltop palace in Jordan}}
{{Infobox ancient site
{{Infobox ancient site
| name = Machaerus / Mkawer
| name = Machaerus
| native_name = مكاور
| native_name = قلعة مكاور
| alternate_name =
| alternate_name =
| image = Machaerus Panorama.jpg
| image = Machaerus Panorama.jpg
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| location = [[Madaba Governorate]], [[Jordan]]
| location = [[Madaba Governorate]], [[Jordan]]
| region = [[Perea (region)|Perea]]
| region = [[Perea (region)|Perea]]
| type = Fortification
| type = Fortification, Palace
| part_of =
| part_of =
| length =
| length =
Line 22: Line 22:
| builder = [[Alexander Jannaeus]]
| builder = [[Alexander Jannaeus]]
| material =
| material =
| built = Approximately 90 BC
| built = c. 90 BCE
| abandoned = Approximately AD 72
| abandoned = c. 72 CE
| epochs = [[Hellenistic period|Hellenistic]] to [[Roman Empire]]
| epochs = [[Hellenistic period|Hellenistic]] to [[Roman Empire|Roman period]]
| cultures =
| cultures =[[Hasmonean dynasty|Hasmonean]], [[Herodian Kingdom|Herodian]]
| dependency_of =
| dependency_of =
| occupants =
| occupants =
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| excavations =
| excavations =
| archaeologists =
| archaeologists =
| condition =
| condition =In ruins
| ownership =
| ownership =
| management =
| management =
| public_access =
| public_access =Yes
| website = <!-- {{URL|example.com}} -->
| website = <!-- {{URL|example.com}} -->
| notes =
| notes =
}}
}}


'''Machaerus''' (Μαχαιροῦς, from {{lang-grc|μάχαιρα||[[makhaira]]}} [a sword]), in [[Arabic]] '''Mkawer''' (مكاور),<ref>{{Cite web|title=Jordan - Touristic Sites - South of Amman|url=http://www.kinghussein.gov.jo/tourism6b.html|access-date=2021-10-22|website=www.kinghussein.gov.jo}}</ref> is a fortified hilltop palace, now in ruins, located in [[Jordan]], {{convert|25|km|abbr=on}} southeast of the mouth of the [[Jordan river]] on the eastern side of the [[Dead Sea]]. According to [[Josephus|Flavius Josephus]], it was the location of the imprisonment and execution of [[John the Baptist]].<ref>''Eerdmans Dictionary of the Bible'' 2000 {{ISBN|90-5356-503-5}} page 583</ref> According to the chronology of the Bible ({{bibleref2|Mark 6:24}}; {{bibleref2|Matthew 14:8}}), the execution took place in about AD 32 shortly before the [[Passover]], following an imprisonment of two years. The site also provides the setting for four additional New Testament characters: [[Herod the Great]]; his son, Tetrarch [[Herod Antipas]]; his second wife, Princess [[Herodias]]; and her daughter, Princess [[Salome]].<ref>''Anastylosis at Machaerus'', Biblical Archaeology Review, Jan/Feb. 2015, Vol. 41, No. 1, p61.</ref>
'''Machaerus''' (Μαχαιροῦς, from {{langx|grc|μάχαιρα||[[makhaira]]}} [a sword]; {{langx|he|מכוור}}; {{langx|ar|قلعة مكاور|translit=Qala'at Mukawir|lit=Mukawir Castle}})<ref>{{Cite web|title=Jordan - Touristic Sites - South of Amman|url=http://www.kinghussein.gov.jo/tourism6b.html|access-date=2021-10-22|website=www.kinghussein.gov.jo}}</ref><ref>{{Cite book |last=Division |first=United States Geographic Names |url=https://books.google.com/books?id=VwzUUQdi6kgC&dq=%22Mukawir%22&pg=PA260 |title=Jordan: Official Standard Names: Approved by the United States Board on Geographic Names |date=1955 |publisher=Geographic Names Division |language=en}}</ref> was a [[Hasmonean dynasty|Hasmonean]] hilltop palace and desert [[Desert Fortresses of Judaea|fortress]], now in ruins, located in the village of '''Mukawir''' in modern-day [[Jordan]], {{convert|25|km|abbr=on}} southeast of the mouth of the [[Jordan River]] on the eastern side of the [[Dead Sea]].<ref>{{Cite web |title=Castle of Herod the Great {{!}} , Jordan {{!}} Sights |url=https://www.lonelyplanet.com/jordan/mukawir/attractions/castle-of-herod-the-great/a/poi-sig/1443203/1299086 |access-date=2022-05-16 |website=www.lonelyplanet.com |language=en}}</ref>

Machaerus was built by Hasmonean king [[Alexander Jannaeus]] (r. 104–78 BCE). Destroyed later by Roman general [[Aulus Gabinius|Gabinius]] in 57 BCE during conflicts with [[Aristobulus II]], it was subsequently rebuilt and expanded by [[Herod the Great|Herod]], who envisioned it as a potential refuge. Herod constructed a palace, cisterns, a ''[[mikveh]]'', a ''[[triclinium]]'', and a ''[[peristyle]]'' within the fortress. After the [[Siege of Jerusalem (70 CE)|fall of Jerusalem]] during the [[First Jewish–Roman War]], the fortress became a magnet for resistance against [[Roman Empire|Roman rule]]. Following a siege by [[Legio X Fretensis]] under [[Sextus Lucilius Bassus|Bassus]] in 71 CE, the Jewish defenders eventually surrendered after Eleazar, a key leader, was captured. However, the Romans reneged on their agreement regarding the non-Jewish inhabitants, massacring the men and enslaving the women and children.<ref name=":6">{{Cite book |last=Rogers |first=Guy MacLean |title=For the Freedom of Zion: the Great Revolt of Jews against Romans, 66-74 CE |date=2021 |publisher=Yale University Press |isbn=978-0-300-24813-5 |location=New Haven |pages=25, 398-342, 541}}</ref>

According to the [[History of the Jews in the Roman Empire|Jewish-Roman]] historian [[Flavius Josephus]], Machaerus was the location of the imprisonment and execution of [[John the Baptist]].<ref>''Eerdmans Dictionary of the Bible'' 2000 {{ISBN|90-5356-503-5}} page 583</ref> According to the chronology of the Bible ({{bibleverse|Mark|6:24}}; {{bibleverse|Matthew|14:8}}), the execution took place in about 32 CE shortly before the [[Passover]], following an imprisonment of two years. The site also provides the setting for four additional [[New Testament]] figures: [[Herod the Great]]; his son, Tetrarch [[Herod Antipas]]; his second wife, Princess [[Herodias]]; and her daughter, Princess [[Salome]].<ref>"Anastylosis at Machaerus", ''Biblical Archaeology Review'', Jan/Feb. 2015, Vol. 41, No. 1, p61.</ref>


==History==
==History==
The fortress Machaerus was originally built by the [[Hasmonean]] king, [[Alexander Jannaeus]] (104 BC-78 BC) in about the year 90 BC,<ref>[[Josephus]], ''[[The Wars of the Jews]]'' 7.6.2</ref> serving an important strategic position. Its high, rocky vantage point was difficult to access, and invasions from the east could be easily spotted from there. It was also in line of sight of other Hasmonean (and later Herodian) citadels, so other fortresses could be signaled if trouble appeared on the horizon.<ref>''Anastylosis at Machaerus'', Biblical Archaeology Review, Jan/Feb. 2015, Vol. 41, No. 1, pp52-61.</ref> Nevertheless, it was destroyed by [[Pompey]]'s general [[Aulus Gabinius|Gabinius]] in 57 BC,<ref>[[Josephus]], ''[[The Wars of the Jews]]'' 1.8.5</ref> but later rebuilt by [[Herod the Great]] in 30 BC to be used as a military base to safeguard his territories east of the Jordan.
The fortress Machaerus was originally built by the [[Hasmonean]] king, [[Alexander Jannaeus]] (104 BC-78 BC) in about the year 90 BC,<ref>[[Josephus]], ''[[The Wars of the Jews]]'' 7.6.2</ref> serving an important strategic position. Its high, rocky vantage point was difficult to access, and invasions from the east could be easily spotted from there. It was also in line of sight of other Hasmonean (and later Herodian) citadels, so other fortresses could be signaled if trouble appeared on the horizon.<ref>''Anastylosis at Machaerus'', Biblical Archaeology Review, Jan/Feb. 2015, Vol. 41, No. 1, pp52-61.</ref> Nevertheless, it was destroyed by [[Pompey]]'s general [[Aulus Gabinius|Gabinius]] in 57 BC,<ref>[[Josephus]], ''[[The Wars of the Jews]]'' 1.8.5</ref> but later rebuilt by [[Herod the Great]] in 30 BC to be used as a military base to safeguard his territories east of the Jordan.


Upon the death of Herod the Great, the fortress was passed to his son, [[Herod Antipas]], who ruled from 4 BC until 39 AD. It was during this time, at the beginning of the first century AD, that John the Baptist was imprisoned and [[John the Baptist#John.27s imprisonment and beheading|beheaded]] at Machaerus.<ref>[[Josephus]] ''[[Antiquities of the Jews]]'' 18.5.2</ref>
Upon the death of Herod the Great, the fortress was passed to his son, [[Herod Antipas]], who ruled from 4 BC until 39 AD. It was during this time, at the beginning of the first century of the [[Common Era]], that [[John the Baptist]] was imprisoned and [[John the Baptist#John.27s imprisonment and beheading|beheaded]] at Machaerus.<ref>[[Josephus]] ''[[Antiquities of the Jews]]'' 18.5.2</ref>


After the deposition and banishment of Herod Antipas in 39 AD, Machaerus passed to [[Herod Agrippa I]] until his death in AD 44, after which it came under [[Roman Empire|Roman]] control. Jewish rebels took control after AD 66 during the [[First Jewish Revolt]].<ref>[[Josephus]], ''[[The Wars of the Jews]]'' 2.18.6</ref> Shortly after defeating the Jewish garrison of [[Herodium]], the Roman legate [[Lucilius Bassus]] advanced on Machaerus with his troops and began siege in AD 72. An embankment and ramp were created in order to facilitate [[Roman siege engines]] but the Jewish rebels capitulated before the Roman attack had begun. The rebels were allowed to leave and the fortress was torn down, leaving only the foundations intact.
After the deposition and banishment of Herod Antipas in 39 AD, Machaerus passed to [[Herod Agrippa I]] until his death in AD 44, after which it came under [[Roman Empire|Roman]] control. Jewish rebels took control after AD 66 during the [[First Jewish Revolt]].<ref>[[Josephus]], ''[[The Wars of the Jews]]'' 2.18.6</ref> Shortly after defeating the Jewish garrison of [[Herodium]], the Roman legate [[Lucilius Bassus]] advanced on Machaerus with his troops and began siege in AD 72. An embankment and ramp were created in order to facilitate [[Roman siege engines]] but the Jewish rebels capitulated before the Roman attack had begun. The rebels were allowed to leave and the fortress was torn down, leaving only the foundations intact.
Line 56: Line 60:


==Excavation==
==Excavation==
The village on the plateau to the east of the mountain is known as ''Mkāwer'' ({{lang-ar|مكاور}}). The site was visited in 1807 by the Frisian explorer [[Ulrich Jasper Seetzen]], and the name of the village reminded him of the name of Machaerus in [[Greek language|Greek]]. The archaeological excavation of Machaerus was begun in 1968 by [[Jerry Vardaman]], then of the [[Southern Baptist Theological Seminary]], and later director of the [[Cobb Institute of Archaeology]] at [[Mississippi State University]]. In 1973, the German scholar, August Strobel, identified and studied the wall by which the Romans encircled the defenders within the fortress. In 1978–1981, excavations were carried out by [[Virgilio Corbo]], [[Stanislao Loffreda]] and Michele Piccirillo, from the [[Studium Biblicum Franciscanum]] in [[Jerusalem]].
The village on the plateau to the east of the mountain is called '''Mukawir''' ({{langx|ar|مكاور}}, sometimes also rendered as '''Mkawer''').<ref>{{Cite web |title=Jordan offers a haven in the Holy Land: Precious Antiquities and Peace |url=http://www.kinghussein.gov.jo/art_april97.html |access-date=2022-05-16 |website=www.kinghussein.gov.jo}}</ref><ref>{{Cite web |title=Jordan - Touristic Sites - South of Amman |url=http://www.kinghussein.gov.jo/tourism6b.html |access-date=2022-05-16 |website=www.kinghussein.gov.jo}}</ref> The site was visited in 1807 by the Frisian explorer [[Ulrich Jasper Seetzen]], and the name of the village reminded him of the name of Machaerus in [[Greek language|Greek]]. The archaeological excavation of Machaerus was begun in 1968 by [[Jerry Vardaman]], then of the [[Southern Baptist Theological Seminary]], and later director of the [[Cobb Institute of Archaeology]] at [[Mississippi State University]]. In 1973, the German scholar, August Strobel, identified and studied the wall by which the Romans encircled the defenders within the fortress. In 1978–1981, excavations were carried out by [[Virgilio Corbo]], [[Stanislao Loffreda]] and Michele Piccirillo, from the [[Studium Biblicum Franciscanum]] in [[Jerusalem]].


Within the fortified area are the ruins of the Herodian palace, including rooms, a large courtyard, and an elaborate bath, with fragments of the floor mosaic still remaining. Farther down the eastern slope of the hill are other walls and towers, perhaps representing the "lower town," of which Josephus also wrote.<ref>[[Josephus]], ''[[The Wars of the Jews]]'' 7.6.4</ref> Traceable also, coming from the east, is the aqueduct that brought water to the cisterns of the fortress. Pottery found in the area extends from late [[Hellenistic]] to Roman periods and confirms the two main periods of occupation, namely, Hasmonean (90 BC-57 BC) and Herodian (30 BC-AD 72), with a brief reoccupation soon after AD 72 and then nothing further&mdash;so complete and systematic was the destruction visited upon the site by the Romans.
Within the fortified area are the ruins of the Herodian palace, including rooms, a large courtyard, and an elaborate bath, with fragments of the floor mosaic still remaining. Farther down the eastern slope of the hill are other walls and towers, perhaps representing the "lower town," of which Josephus also wrote.<ref>[[Josephus]], ''[[The Wars of the Jews]]'' 7.6.4</ref> Traceable also, coming from the east, is the aqueduct that brought water to the cisterns of the fortress. Pottery found in the area extends from late [[Hellenistic]] to Roman periods and confirms the two main periods of occupation, namely, Hasmonean (90 BC-57 BC) and Herodian (30 BC-AD 72), with a brief reoccupation soon after AD 72 and then nothing further&mdash;so complete and systematic was the destruction visited upon the site by the Romans.


==Anastylosis==
==Anastylosis==
In the spring of 2014, archeologist [[Győző Vörös]], with a team from the [[Hungarian Academy of Arts]] and in cooperation with [[Prince El Hassan bin Talal]] and Monther Jamhawi, director general of antiquities in Jordan, completed a reconstruction and re-erection of two ancient columns at the site on the basis of the principle of [[anastylosis]]. One [[Doric order|Doric]] column from the royal courtyard and one [[Ionic order|Ionic]] column from the royal bathhouse were cleaned and conserved ''in situ'' and joined together with stainless steel empolia (plugs) which were inserted into the original empolia holes in the center of the column. The team also created a digital reconstruction of what the palace would have looked like, based on their archaeological findings.<ref>''Anastylosis at Machaerus'', Biblical Archaeology Review, Jan/Feb. 2015, Vol. 41, No. 1, pp52-61.</ref>
In the spring of 2014, archeologist [[Győző Vörös]], with a team from the [[Hungarian Academy of Arts]] and in cooperation with [[Prince El Hassan bin Talal]] and Monther Jamhawi, director general of antiquities in Jordan, completed a reconstruction and re-erection of two ancient columns at the site on the basis of the principle of [[anastylosis]]. One [[Doric order|Doric]] column from the royal courtyard and one [[Ionic order|Ionic]] column from the royal bathhouse were cleaned and conserved ''in situ'' and joined with stainless steel empolia (plugs) which were inserted into the original empolia holes in the center of the column. The team also created a digital reconstruction of what the palace would have looked like, based on their archaeological findings.<ref>''Anastylosis at Machaerus'', Biblical Archaeology Review, Jan/Feb. 2015, Vol. 41, No. 1, pp52-61.</ref>


==See also==
==See also==
Line 69: Line 73:
*[[Masada]]
*[[Masada]]
:;Hasmonean desert fortresses
:;Hasmonean desert fortresses
*[[Alexandrion|Alexandreion]]/Alexandrion
*[[Alexandrion|Alexandreion]]/Alexandrion/Alexandrium
*[[Dok]] (Dagon)
*Dok (Dagon) on the [[Mount of Temptation]]
*[[Hyrkania]]
*[[Hyrcania (fortress)]]
*[[Kypros]]
*[[:de:Kypros (Festung)|Cypros]] (German article)


==Notes==
==Notes==
{{reflist}}
{{reflist}}
{{commons category}}
{{commonscat}}


==Further reading==
==Further reading==
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*Vörös, Győző (2013) ''Machaerus I: History, Archeology and Architecture of the Fortified Herodian Royal Palace and City Overlooking the Dead Sea in Transjordan. Final Report of the Excavations and Surveys 1807-2012'', Milano: Edizioni Terra Santa.
*Vörös, Győző (2013) ''Machaerus I: History, Archeology and Architecture of the Fortified Herodian Royal Palace and City Overlooking the Dead Sea in Transjordan. Final Report of the Excavations and Surveys 1807-2012'', Milano: Edizioni Terra Santa.
*Vörös, Győző (2015) ''Machaerus II: The Hungarian Archaeological Mission in the Light of the American-Baptist and Italian-Franciscan Excavations and Surveys. Final Report 1968-2015'', Milano: Edizioni Terra Santa.
*Vörös, Győző (2015) ''Machaerus II: The Hungarian Archaeological Mission in the Light of the American-Baptist and Italian-Franciscan Excavations and Surveys. Final Report 1968-2015'', Milano: Edizioni Terra Santa.
*Vörös, Győző (2018) [http://publication.doa.gov.jo/uploads/publications/43/ADAJ_2018_59-435-454.pdf ''Machaerus project: preliminary report on the 2016-2017 archaeological excavation''], ADAJ: 2018, No 59, pp. 435–454.
*Vörös, Győző (2018) [http://publication.doa.gov.jo/uploads/publications/43/ADAJ_2018_59-435-454.pdf ''Machaerus project: preliminary report on the 2016-2017 archaeological excavation''], ADAJ: 2018, No 59, pp.&nbsp;435–454.
*Vörös, Győző (2019) ''Machaerus III: Final Report on the Herodian Citadel 1968-2018'', Milano: Edizioni Terra Santa.
*Vörös, Győző (2019) ''Machaerus III: Final Report on the Herodian Citadel 1968-2018'', Milano: Edizioni Terra Santa.
*Vörös, Győző (2022) ''Machaerus: The Golgotha of John the Baptist'', Budapest: MMM Kiadó.


==External links==
==External links==
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*[http://sbf.custodia.org/default.asp?id=1665 Studium Biblicum Franciscanum's Page on "The Machaerus Archaeological Excavations in Jordan"]
*[http://sbf.custodia.org/default.asp?id=1665 Studium Biblicum Franciscanum's Page on "The Machaerus Archaeological Excavations in Jordan"]
*[http://www.biblicalarchaeology.org/daily/biblical-sites-places/biblical-archaeology-sites/machaerus-beyond-the-beheading-of-john-the-baptist/ Machaerus: Beyond the Beheading of John the Baptist] Biblical Archaeology Society
*[http://www.biblicalarchaeology.org/daily/biblical-sites-places/biblical-archaeology-sites/machaerus-beyond-the-beheading-of-john-the-baptist/ Machaerus: Beyond the Beheading of John the Baptist] Biblical Archaeology Society
*[https://acor.digitalrelab.com/index.php?s=filter=place_name:Machaerus%20(Jordan) Photos of Machaerus] at the [[American Center of Research]]


{{Towns depopulated during the First Jewish–Roman War}}
{{Towns depopulated during the First Jewish–Roman War}}
{{Authority control}}
{{Authority control}}

[[Category:Buildings and structures completed in the 1st century BC]]
[[Category:Buildings and structures completed in the 1st century BC]]
[[Category:Buildings and structures demolished in the 1st century BC]]
[[Category:Buildings and structures demolished in the 1st century BC]]
[[Category:Buildings and structures demolished in the 1st century]]
[[Category:Buildings and structures demolished in the 1st century]]
[[Category:70s disestablishments in the Roman Empire]]
[[Category:70s disestablishments in the Roman Empire]]
[[Category:1807 archaeological discoveries]]
[[Category:Archaeological sites in Jordan]]
[[Category:Archaeological sites in Jordan]]
[[Category:First Jewish–Roman War]]
[[Category:First Jewish–Roman War]]
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[[Category:Jews and Judaism in Jordan]]
[[Category:Jews and Judaism in Jordan]]
[[Category:Jews and Judaism in the Roman Republic and the Roman Empire]]
[[Category:Jews and Judaism in the Roman Republic and the Roman Empire]]
[[Category:Mountain monuments and memorials]]
[[Category:John the Baptist]]
[[Category:Herod Agrippa]]
[[Category:Herod Antipas]]
[[Category:Salome]]
[[Category:Monuments and memorials in Jordan]]
[[Category:Ancient Jewish settlements of Transjordan]]
[[Category:Hellenistic architecture]]

Latest revision as of 21:57, 20 November 2024

Machaerus
قلعة مكاور
Panoramic view of Machaerus with the Dead Sea in the background.
Machaerus is located in Jordan
Machaerus
Shown within Jordan
LocationMadaba Governorate, Jordan
RegionPerea
Coordinates31°34′2″N 35°37′27″E / 31.56722°N 35.62417°E / 31.56722; 35.62417
TypeFortification, Palace
History
BuilderAlexander Jannaeus
Foundedc. 90 BCE
Abandonedc. 72 CE
PeriodsHellenistic to Roman period
CulturesHasmonean, Herodian
Site notes
ConditionIn ruins
Public accessYes

Machaerus (Μαχαιροῦς, from Ancient Greek: μάχαιρα, lit. 'makhaira' [a sword]; Hebrew: מכוור; Arabic: قلعة مكاور, romanized: Qala'at Mukawir, lit. 'Mukawir Castle')[1][2] was a Hasmonean hilltop palace and desert fortress, now in ruins, located in the village of Mukawir in modern-day Jordan, 25 km (16 mi) southeast of the mouth of the Jordan River on the eastern side of the Dead Sea.[3]

Machaerus was built by Hasmonean king Alexander Jannaeus (r. 104–78 BCE). Destroyed later by Roman general Gabinius in 57 BCE during conflicts with Aristobulus II, it was subsequently rebuilt and expanded by Herod, who envisioned it as a potential refuge. Herod constructed a palace, cisterns, a mikveh, a triclinium, and a peristyle within the fortress. After the fall of Jerusalem during the First Jewish–Roman War, the fortress became a magnet for resistance against Roman rule. Following a siege by Legio X Fretensis under Bassus in 71 CE, the Jewish defenders eventually surrendered after Eleazar, a key leader, was captured. However, the Romans reneged on their agreement regarding the non-Jewish inhabitants, massacring the men and enslaving the women and children.[4]

According to the Jewish-Roman historian Flavius Josephus, Machaerus was the location of the imprisonment and execution of John the Baptist.[5] According to the chronology of the Bible (Mark 6:24; Matthew 14:8), the execution took place in about 32 CE shortly before the Passover, following an imprisonment of two years. The site also provides the setting for four additional New Testament figures: Herod the Great; his son, Tetrarch Herod Antipas; his second wife, Princess Herodias; and her daughter, Princess Salome.[6]

History

[edit]

The fortress Machaerus was originally built by the Hasmonean king, Alexander Jannaeus (104 BC-78 BC) in about the year 90 BC,[7] serving an important strategic position. Its high, rocky vantage point was difficult to access, and invasions from the east could be easily spotted from there. It was also in line of sight of other Hasmonean (and later Herodian) citadels, so other fortresses could be signaled if trouble appeared on the horizon.[8] Nevertheless, it was destroyed by Pompey's general Gabinius in 57 BC,[9] but later rebuilt by Herod the Great in 30 BC to be used as a military base to safeguard his territories east of the Jordan.

Upon the death of Herod the Great, the fortress was passed to his son, Herod Antipas, who ruled from 4 BC until 39 AD. It was during this time, at the beginning of the first century of the Common Era, that John the Baptist was imprisoned and beheaded at Machaerus.[10]

After the deposition and banishment of Herod Antipas in 39 AD, Machaerus passed to Herod Agrippa I until his death in AD 44, after which it came under Roman control. Jewish rebels took control after AD 66 during the First Jewish Revolt.[11] Shortly after defeating the Jewish garrison of Herodium, the Roman legate Lucilius Bassus advanced on Machaerus with his troops and began siege in AD 72. An embankment and ramp were created in order to facilitate Roman siege engines but the Jewish rebels capitulated before the Roman attack had begun. The rebels were allowed to leave and the fortress was torn down, leaving only the foundations intact.

Design

[edit]

Josephus gives a full description of Machaerus in The Jewish War 7.6.1 ff. The hilltop, which stands about 1,100 meters above Dead Sea level, is surrounded on all sides by deep ravines which provide great natural strength. The valley on the west extends 60 stadia to the Dead Sea (Josephus refers to it as Lake Asphaltitis). The valley on the east descends to a depth of a hundred cubits (150 ft).

Herod the Great regarded the place as deserving the strongest fortification, particularly because of its proximity to Arabia. On top of the mountain, surrounding the crest, he built a fortress wall, 100 meters long and 60 meters wide with three corner towers, each sixty cubits (90 ft) high. The palace was built in the center of the fortified area. Numerous cisterns were provided to collect rain water.

The royal courtyard is considered one of the closest and best existing archaeological parallels to the Herodian Gabbatha in the Jerusalem Praetorium, where Pontius Pilate judged Jesus of Nazareth.[12]

Excavation

[edit]

The village on the plateau to the east of the mountain is called Mukawir (Arabic: مكاور, sometimes also rendered as Mkawer).[13][14] The site was visited in 1807 by the Frisian explorer Ulrich Jasper Seetzen, and the name of the village reminded him of the name of Machaerus in Greek. The archaeological excavation of Machaerus was begun in 1968 by Jerry Vardaman, then of the Southern Baptist Theological Seminary, and later director of the Cobb Institute of Archaeology at Mississippi State University. In 1973, the German scholar, August Strobel, identified and studied the wall by which the Romans encircled the defenders within the fortress. In 1978–1981, excavations were carried out by Virgilio Corbo, Stanislao Loffreda and Michele Piccirillo, from the Studium Biblicum Franciscanum in Jerusalem.

Within the fortified area are the ruins of the Herodian palace, including rooms, a large courtyard, and an elaborate bath, with fragments of the floor mosaic still remaining. Farther down the eastern slope of the hill are other walls and towers, perhaps representing the "lower town," of which Josephus also wrote.[15] Traceable also, coming from the east, is the aqueduct that brought water to the cisterns of the fortress. Pottery found in the area extends from late Hellenistic to Roman periods and confirms the two main periods of occupation, namely, Hasmonean (90 BC-57 BC) and Herodian (30 BC-AD 72), with a brief reoccupation soon after AD 72 and then nothing further—so complete and systematic was the destruction visited upon the site by the Romans.

Anastylosis

[edit]

In the spring of 2014, archeologist Győző Vörös, with a team from the Hungarian Academy of Arts and in cooperation with Prince El Hassan bin Talal and Monther Jamhawi, director general of antiquities in Jordan, completed a reconstruction and re-erection of two ancient columns at the site on the basis of the principle of anastylosis. One Doric column from the royal courtyard and one Ionic column from the royal bathhouse were cleaned and conserved in situ and joined with stainless steel empolia (plugs) which were inserted into the original empolia holes in the center of the column. The team also created a digital reconstruction of what the palace would have looked like, based on their archaeological findings.[16]

See also

[edit]
Hasmonean desert fortresses

Notes

[edit]
  1. ^ "Jordan - Touristic Sites - South of Amman". www.kinghussein.gov.jo. Retrieved 2021-10-22.
  2. ^ Division, United States Geographic Names (1955). Jordan: Official Standard Names: Approved by the United States Board on Geographic Names. Geographic Names Division.
  3. ^ "Castle of Herod the Great | , Jordan | Sights". www.lonelyplanet.com. Retrieved 2022-05-16.
  4. ^ Rogers, Guy MacLean (2021). For the Freedom of Zion: the Great Revolt of Jews against Romans, 66-74 CE. New Haven: Yale University Press. pp. 25, 398–342, 541. ISBN 978-0-300-24813-5.
  5. ^ Eerdmans Dictionary of the Bible 2000 ISBN 90-5356-503-5 page 583
  6. ^ "Anastylosis at Machaerus", Biblical Archaeology Review, Jan/Feb. 2015, Vol. 41, No. 1, p61.
  7. ^ Josephus, The Wars of the Jews 7.6.2
  8. ^ Anastylosis at Machaerus, Biblical Archaeology Review, Jan/Feb. 2015, Vol. 41, No. 1, pp52-61.
  9. ^ Josephus, The Wars of the Jews 1.8.5
  10. ^ Josephus Antiquities of the Jews 18.5.2
  11. ^ Josephus, The Wars of the Jews 2.18.6
  12. ^ Anastylosis at Machaerus, Biblical Archaeology Review, Jan/Feb. 2015, Vol. 41, No. 1, p61.
  13. ^ "Jordan offers a haven in the Holy Land: Precious Antiquities and Peace". www.kinghussein.gov.jo. Retrieved 2022-05-16.
  14. ^ "Jordan - Touristic Sites - South of Amman". www.kinghussein.gov.jo. Retrieved 2022-05-16.
  15. ^ Josephus, The Wars of the Jews 7.6.4
  16. ^ Anastylosis at Machaerus, Biblical Archaeology Review, Jan/Feb. 2015, Vol. 41, No. 1, pp52-61.
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Further reading

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  • Corbo, V. (1978) La fortezza di Macheronte: Rapporto preliminare della prima campagna di scavo: 8 settembre - 28 ottobre 1978. Liber Annuus 28: 217–238. (Excavation Report)
  • Vörös, Győző. “Machaerus: Where Salome Danced and John the Baptist Was Beheaded.” Biblical Archaeology Review, Sep/Oct 2012, 30–41, 68.
  • Vörös, Győző (2012) Machaerus: Excavations and Surveys (2009-2012), Hungarian Academy of Arts.
  • Vörös, Győző. “Anastylosis at Machaerus.” Biblical Archaeology Review, Jan/Feb 2015, 52–61.
  • Vörös, Győző (2013) Machaerus I: History, Archeology and Architecture of the Fortified Herodian Royal Palace and City Overlooking the Dead Sea in Transjordan. Final Report of the Excavations and Surveys 1807-2012, Milano: Edizioni Terra Santa.
  • Vörös, Győző (2015) Machaerus II: The Hungarian Archaeological Mission in the Light of the American-Baptist and Italian-Franciscan Excavations and Surveys. Final Report 1968-2015, Milano: Edizioni Terra Santa.
  • Vörös, Győző (2018) Machaerus project: preliminary report on the 2016-2017 archaeological excavation, ADAJ: 2018, No 59, pp. 435–454.
  • Vörös, Győző (2019) Machaerus III: Final Report on the Herodian Citadel 1968-2018, Milano: Edizioni Terra Santa.
  • Vörös, Győző (2022) Machaerus: The Golgotha of John the Baptist, Budapest: MMM Kiadó.
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