Author Description

In this volume, the reader is presented for the first time with a wide-ranging picture of the palaces erected by the Hasmoneans, followed by those of the greatest builder of ancient Palestine -- King Herod the Great (37-4BCE). We have only scant historical evidence of the Hasmonean palaces. The extensive excavations carried out by Professor Ehud Netzer in Jericho uncovered a winter palace (previously unknown) equipped with many swimming pools, bathing installations, ritual baths, and ornamental gardens. The palace was built next to a large royal estate where dates and persimmon -- from which perfume was extracted -- were grown. Additional remains from the Hasmonean period (second-first centuries BCE), including the desert fortresses and an anchorage for boats on the Dead Sea, are also described in detail.