MACHAERUS
Frontier Fortress and Palace; execution of John the Baptist; archaeology
WHAT
A forbidding fortress, it was built to intimidate the populace but also to shield them from invaders for the east.
WHERE
WHEN
INTERESTING WEBSITES SCROLL DOWN FOR IMAGES
The approach to the fortress was so steep it was impregnable.
John the Baptist could not have escaped, or been rescued by his
followers. When
it fell finally fell to the Romans,
it was because some of the Zealots betrayed their fellow rebels to the
enemy
Machaerus with
the Dead Sea in the background
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The fortress of Machaerus sits on an isolated ridge
Map showing location of Machaerus in relation to Jerusalem. Galilee was to
the north
Machaerus stood between the Dead Sea and the Jordanian desert
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PLAN OF THE FORTRESS
1 Point where the aqueduct connects with the fortress
2 The east tower
3 Peristyle, with cistern underneath
4 The triclinium or banqueting room where Salome may have danced for Herod Antipas, son of Herod the Great
5 The thermal baths built by Herod the Great
6 The north tower and remains of the lower city
The area enclosed within the walls was limited but luxurious
One of the cisterns used for water storage
Remains of a mikveh, the Jewish ceremonial bath for ritual purification
Remains of the Herodian baths. Considering the limited space, the allocation given to the Baths is lavish
This circa 1890's photograph shows a restored peristyle in Pompeii. The
peristyle in Herod's fortress at Machaerus was of the same period as the
Pompeian garden, and was probably similar in design
Mosaic floor pattern from Machaerus
The walls of the triclinium were painted in a design that did not incorporate any image of a living creature.
Since Machaerus was
reputed to be the fortress where
John the Baptist was imprisoned and executed,
hermits in later centuries lived in the caves below the fortress
The death of
John the Baptist at Machaerus made
the fortress more famous than it would otherwise have been
GENERAL INFORMATION
Machaerus was never really a safe place to be. A forbidding fortress, it was built to intimidate and control the troubled area between Palestine and Petra. It had a tragic and cruel story.
According to the Jewish historian Josephus, the fortress of Machaerus was the place in which John the Baptist was beheaded (Bellum VII.6.1-2).
During the Jewish Revolt which began in 66AD, the Jewish rebels holed up within its seemingly impregnable walls. But the Romans, led by Lucilius Bassus, built siege works around the base of the fortress, leading up towards the walls. When the lower part of the fortress was captured and burned, the people in the upper city surrendered. You can still see part of the Roman siege ramp on the west side of the mound, and ruins of the Roman camp lie on the hill to the west.
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The
fortress of Machaerous was one of a string of strongholds that held
Israel's enemies at bay. It guarded the Jewish state in the eastern
province of Perea against the Nabataeans of Petra.
The Roman historian Josephus says that the naturally defended site was
first chosen by Alexander Janneus (BJ
VII, 6, 2). King Herod later rebuilt the fortress, and when he died his
son Herod Antipas, who governed that territory on behalf of the Romans,
inherited it.
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The use of a siege ramp
similar to the one used by the Romans at Machaerus is described in
Jeremiah 6:6: 'Cut down trees and cast a mount against Jerusalem.'
Strengthening the ramp of soil and stones either by a wooden skeleton or
by the insertion of planks of wood remained a common device down to the
Middle Ages. The ramps or banks were built to fill up any obstacles, to
gain enough height to apply scaling ladders and rams. Dislodging stones
from the lower portion of the walls was not always the best means of
battering a way into a beleaguered fortress; if the ram could be aimed
higher, the crumbling wall would carry with it a proportion of the
battlements and its defenders. Moreover the fallen debris would form a
continuation of the ramp, which would afford a traversable approach into
the breach.' (Battles of the Bible, Herzog C & Mordechai G,
p220)
THE SITE
The isolated mountain on which the fortress stood is located at the end
of a ridge between the Wadi Zerqa Ma`in to the north and the Wadi
Heidan-Mujib to the south. Isolated by deep wadis surrounding it, the
mountain forms two saddles, one to the south east and another to the
north west.
There is an upper city on the top of the mountain, and a lower city on
the steep northern slope.
THE PALACE
Herod the Great added an elaborate PALACE inside the central area - according to Josephus, Herod 'built a wall round the summit and erected towers at the corners, each 27.4metres high. In the middle of this enclosure he built a palace, breath-taking in size and beauty'.
The UPPER CITY held the royal palace and at least
three towers. The main upper structure (possibly from the Herodian
phase) was divided into two main wings by a paved corridor stretching
north south. The eastern wing had a central paved courtyard covering a
cistern with the thermae or bath-house on the south and elongated
rooms on the north side. The western wing had a peristilium (an
open porch and garden) on the north built on the top of a cistern, connected to a triclinium
(dining room) on the south. Columns, capitals and bases of Ionic and
Doric style have been found at the bottom of the cistern.
In its final phase a polygonal defensive wall was built on the perimeter
of the upper city, possibly at the time of the Jewish revolt.
Only a few houses have been excavated in the LOWER CITY.
This area was connected to the fortress by a bridge 15meters high, which
served as an aqueduct bringing water to the cisterns dug into the
northern slope of the mountain.
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INTERESTING SITES - stories, pictures, reconstructions, information
The fortress of Machaerus: BIBLE TOP TEN BUILDINGS
Herod Antipas, who executed John at Machaerus - BIBLE PEOPLE: HEROD
Salome, who danced at Machaerus - BIBLE TOP TEN BAD WOMEN: SALOME
One of the great villains of the Bible, Herod Antipas - BIBLE TOP TEN VILLAINS: HEROD ANTIPAS
The life of John the Baptist - BIBLE PEOPLE: JOHN THE BAPTIST
The life of John's mother, Elizabeth - BIBLE PEOPLE: ELIZABETH
An in-depth look at
the life and significance of Elizabeth - BIBLE
WOMEN: ELIZABETH
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Housing
in Old and New Testament times - Architecture of the Bible; Bible Study Resource
Machaerus: Fortress and Palace; execution of John the Baptist;
archaeology