National Geographic Society

Most scholars had assumed King Herod the Great, who ruled Judea between 37 and 4 B.C., was buried at the Herodium complex in the mountains south of Jerusalem. But his final resting place remained a mystery until 2007, when, after a 35-year search, archaeologists with the Hebrew University uncovered Herod's grave, elaborate sarcophagus, and mausoleum (shown here).

Much of the site, including the sarcophagus, had been badly damaged, possibly by Jewish rebels who loathed the Roman-appointed Herod and led a revolt against the Roman Empire between A.D. 66 and 72. No human remains were found at the site.