View of Jerusalem from Herodium ruins at night

This biblical villain’s tomb was lost for centuries

King Herod’s mausoleum, which long eluded archaeologists, sheds light on the ruler’s turbulent reign—and its effect on Jesus’s early life.

Desert stronghold

Since its construction a few years before the birth of Christ, the palace-fortress of Herodium has commanded clear views of Jerusalem to the north.
Simon Norfolk/NG Image Collection
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