Herodium during the Rule of Herod

Herod of Judaea ruled for 33 years until he died of a fatal disease in the year 4 CE. He was born in 73 BCE, to Antipatris, son of an aristocratic Edomite family which converted to Judaism and was incorporated into the Hasmonean administrative system

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Herodium during the period between Herod’s death and the outbreak of the Great Revolt

The data with regard to this period is very restricted, as no significant structures appear to have been established, and there may have been only minor occupation of the site.

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The Site during the period of the Great Revolt against Rome

The Palace-Fortress on the Herodium hill, built by Herod, continued to be used by his heirs and the Roman governors of Judaea, until its capture by the Jewish zealots at the start of the First Revolt (apparently in 66 CE).
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Herodium during the time of the Bar-Kokhba Revolt

For 60 years, the majority of the period following the First Revolt, Herodium was abandoned, apart from brief periods when a Roman garrison was stationed on the hill-top.
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Herodium during the Byzantine period

The Byzantine period in this area, from the end of the 4thc.CE to the Arab conquest in the middle of the 7th c. CE, is known to have been one of great development. Numerous churches and monasteries were built in the area in general, and in the Judean desert in particular.
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