Machaerus

E66082

Machaerus was a fortified hilltop palace and fortress in Perea, east of the Dead Sea, best known as a Herodian stronghold and the traditional site of John the Baptist’s imprisonment and execution.

Jump to: Statements Referenced by

Statements (47)

Predicate Object
instanceOf Herodian fortress
archaeological site
fortress
hilltop palace
archaeologicalExcavations 20th century
21st century
associatedWith Flavius Josephus
Herod Antipas
Herod the Great
John the Baptist
builderDynasty Hasmonean dynasty
builtBy Alexander Jannaeus
constructionCenturyBC 1st century BC
country Jordan
destroyedBy Romans
destroyedDuring Jewish–Roman wars
surface form: First Jewish–Roman War
destructionYear 72 CE
elevation approximately 1,100 meters above sea level
elevationAboveDeadSea approximately 700 meters
function military stronghold
royal residence
garrisonedBy Jewish rebels
hasFeature Herodian-style palace remains
bath complex
cisterns
courtyards
massive fortification walls
towers
heritageStatus Christian pilgrimage site
knownFor traditional site of John the Baptist’s execution
traditional site of John the Baptist’s imprisonment
locatedEastOf Dead Sea
locatedIn Perea
locatedInPresentDay Jordan
mentionedIn writings of Flavius Josephus
nearModernSettlement Mukawir
overlooks Dead Sea
partOf Herodian enclosure
surface form: Herodian defensive system
rebuiltAs royal palace-fortress
rebuiltBy Herod the Great
rebuiltCenturyBC 1st century BC
region Jordan
surface form: Transjordan
siegedBy Lucilius Bassus
strategicRole control of routes east of the Dead Sea
defense against eastern threats
viewOf Dead Sea
surface form: Dead Sea basin

Judean Desert

Referenced by (2)

Full triples — surface form annotated when it differs from this entity's canonical label.

Perea hasMajorTown Machaerus
Herod Antipas residence Machaerus