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 |  Subject: Biblical King Herod’s Hasmonean Fortress Of Machaerus Unearthed  Thu Jun 22, 2017 4:42 am | |
| Biblical King Herod’s Hasmonean Fortress Of Machaerus UnearthedJune 22, 2017 by SkyWatch Editor  A Hungarian archaeological mission digging in the ruins of Machaerus, a fortress built by King Herod on the eastern shore of the Dead Sea located in modern Jordan, has discovered a large ritual bath which were likely constructed for the royal family’s use. The bath has 12 steeps, and was fed from a reserve pool when its water ran low. In order to qualify as a means to purification, a ritual bath must have at least 40 se’ah, the equivalent of about 83 gallons of water. The underground cistern, 54 ft deep, watered the baths and the fortress’ gardens. The architecture of the bath is very similar to the baths and cisterns discovered in nearby Qumran (across the Dead Sea). It is situated 9 ft below the royal courtyard, and used to be covered by a vaulted stone roof, which was probably demolished by Lucilius Bassus’ 10th Roman legion. Bassus’ soldiers, on a campaign to repress the Great Jewish Revolt, in 71 attacked the Herodian fortress and the Jewish warriors who were hiding inside. The archaeologists exposed collapsed walls, two massive column drums, and four Roman ballistae.(READ MORE) |
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