The Architecture of Herod, the Great Builder

by Ehud Netzer

Herod the Great was one of the famous builders of the classical world. Judaea, his kingdom, a crossroads between the Eastern Mediterranean countries, Mesopotamia, Arabia, and Egypt, symbolizes the transition between the Hellenistic and Early Roman periods as well as the climax of the Second Temple period, which witnessed the emergence of many religious and spiritual movements including Christianity. Beyond the influence of the matured Hellenistic architecture, the developing Roman architecture, and the local building activity of his predecessors, the Hasmonaeans, Herod's buildings benefited from his analytical mind, creative imagination, and deep understanding of the process of building and planning. The consequences are outstanding structures such as Masada's Northern Palace and Herodium's cylindrical palatial fortress, and the peak of his achievements are Caesarea Maritima with its deepwater harbor and the rebuilding of Jerusalem's Temple Mount. Having an architectural as well as an archaeological background, Ehud Netzer is able to highlight Herod's personal involvement and contributions in his building projects. This book presents, in many aspects, the first comprehensive synthesis of Herod's enterprises from archaeological and, mainly, architectural viewpoints. Born 1934; 1958, completed studies of architecture in the Technion at Haifa, Israel; 1978 Ph.D. Dissertation in archaeology; Professor emeritus at the Institute of Archaeology at the Hebrew University of Jerusalem.

Genres: Ancient History

457 pages, Kindle Edition

First published December 30, 2006

Reviews

[Emily · Rating 3 out of 5]

This book is a useful introduction to the major building projects of Herod the Great, if one already has some experience with the history or the period and with archaeological & architectural terms.

Netzer's concern here is giving an overview in order to argue for Herod's personal involvement with his building projects. His descriptions and interpretations of the remains and the literary evidence are clear and the reader is provided with many references (many of which are in Hebrew, which is to be expected of an Israeli scholar writing about things that are (mostly) found in modern Israel). Netzer notes when his opinions differ from other scholars.

My biggest problem with the book was the in adequacy of the plans, drawings and photos. There weren't enough of them and many weren't as detailed as I would have liked. This is also true of the appendices. It's much easier to follow the description of a site, a building or an architectural detail with there are good plans, drawings and photos.

[Anja Noordam · Rating 5 out of 5]

Not sure how interesting it is for people who have not been to Israel and walked through Herod’s building projects, but to me it was an interesting book, excavations are ongoing so a book like this needs updating regularly