Cite this garden Netzer, E., and K. Gleason (2021). "Lower Herodium Garden Complex." Gardens of the Roman Empire, accessed June 18, 2026. https://roman-gardens.github.io/id/0af81a130f/

Lower Herodium Garden Complex

Published: 2021-04-21
Last modified: 2026-06-08

Dates

30 BCE - 60 CE

Garden Description

Lower Herodium (Fig. 1C) comprises several units. Here the central focus is the large pool, the water of which was supplied by a 6 km long aqueduct built by Herod from the spring at the modern village of Artas. The pool is set into a huge garden terrace 120 X 110 m. in size. It was constructed by blocking and leveling a whole section of a valley with up to 8 m of fill. A stepped retaining wall, like a dam, supports the terrace to the east of the garden, as well as two long halls, one on the garden level and the other below, looking down the valley. The garden itself is surrounded on three sides (north, west and south) by wide colonnades situated about 1.5m higher than the garden. The pool was probably used for swimming, for small boats, as a water reservoir, and as a central architectural focus at "the heart" of Lower Herodium. A tholos-type pavilion topped the circular stone foundation (13.5 m in diameter) exposed in the center of the pool. The majority of the buildings at Lower Herodium, still largely unexcavated, are laid out in a "U" shaped cluster around this large garden.

A limited examination of the courtyard area by K. Gleason in December 1985 supports the theory that the courtyard was planted, although it may have had substantial areas with plastered walks and seating areas, as one might expect around a pool. Immediately below the plaster surface, above the terrace fill, a rich, mottled loam with potsherds, suitable for cultivation was identified, suggesting either an earlier garden planted over the entire area, or simply a soil layer that permitted trees and shrubs to be planted within an overall scheme of trees, shrubs, and paved places for bathers to relax. Small test trenches did not reveal any planting pits; however, the rich soil was seen in the stratigraphy of earlier trenches throughout the site suggesting shaded smooth plastered surfaces and probable areas of garden beds.

Plans

Fig. 1:Plan of the complex at Herodium showing the Fortress Palace with its small peristyle garden (A), the Tomb Garden (B) and the Lower Palace with its central pool and cultivated grounds (C) (Yaniv Korman after Netzer)

Bibliography

  • E. Netzer, "Greater Herodium" in Qedem, Monographs of the Institute of Archaeology, The Hebrew University of Jerusalem 13, 1981 (worldcat)
  • E. Netzer The Palaces of the Hasmoneans and Herod the Great, Jerusalem: The Israel Exploration Society, 1999, 98-107 (worldcat)
  • I. Nielsen, Inge, Hellenistic Palaces, 1994, 201-203. (worldcat)
  • R. Porat, R. Chachy, and Y. Kalman. "Herodium I: Herod's Tomb Precinct, Final Reports of the 1972-2010 Excavations Directed by Ehud Netzer." Jerusalem: Israel Exploration Society (2015). worldcat
  • D. Langgut, M. Cavanagh , R. Evyasaf, Y. Korman, R. Porat, G. Stiebel., K. Gleason. "The reconstruction of Herod the Great's palatial gardens in Herodium: a botanical perspective", In: Chachy R, Kalman Y, and Porat R (eds.), "Lower Herodium," in HERODIUM II; Final Reports of the 1972-2010 Excavations Directed by Ehud Netzer, Jerusalem. In press

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