Bethlehem Herodium drone 5

The Herodium (also spelled Herodion) was an impressive palace/fortress complex just three miles southeast of Bethlehem. Easily spotted from the southern edge of Jerusalem, the Herodium was a man-made mountain built by Herod the Great. He spent much of his time in his later years at the fortress, which means he may have been at the location during the time of Jesus’ birth. With hundreds of soldiers at his command, it’s easy to imagine them fanning out from the well-guarded complex as they slaughtered the children of Bethlehem “and the surrounding vicinity” (Matthew 2:16). Growing increasingly paranoid in his later years, Herod built a tower for the main complex on the highest hill in the Judean Mountains. He then paid workers to pour stones and dirt around the tower until the entire structure looked like a perfectly-shaped mountain. He moved much of the governmental machinery out of Jerusalem to the palace grounds, and added a swimming pool that was twice as large as a modern-day “Olympic-sized” pool. The pool supported small boats to carry Herod and his guests around the water or to the small island in the middle of the pool. Herod was eventually buried on the slopes of the mountain not long after Jesus was born. For much more information on this fascinating – but somewhat hidden – part of the Christmas story, refer to the book “The King of Bethlehem” by Andy Cook.