قلعة مكاور | |
 Panoramic view of Machaerus with theDead Sea in the background. | |
  Shown within Jordan | |
| Location | Madaba Governorate,Jordan |
|---|---|
| Region | Perea |
| Coordinates | 31°34′2″N35°37′27″E / 31.56722°N 35.62417°E /31.56722; 35.62417 |
| Type | Fortification, Palace |
| History | |
| Builder | Alexander Jannaeus |
| Founded | c. 90 BCE |
| Abandoned | c. 72 CE |
| Periods | Hellenistic toRoman period |
| Cultures | Hasmonean,Herodian |
| Site notes | |
| Condition | In ruins |
| Public access | Yes |
Machaerus (Μαχαιροῦς, fromAncient Greek:μάχαιρα,lit. 'makhaira' [a sword];Hebrew:מכוור;Arabic:قلعة مكاور,romanized: Qala'at Mukawir,lit. 'Mukawir Castle')[1][2] was aHasmonean hilltop palace and desertfortress, now in ruins, located in the village ofMukawir in modern-dayJordan, 25 km (16 mi) southeast of the mouth of theJordan River on the eastern side of theDead Sea.[3]
Machaerus was built by Hasmonean kingAlexander Jannaeus (r. 104–78 BCE). Destroyed later by Roman generalGabinius in 57 BCE during conflicts withAristobulus II, it was subsequently rebuilt and expanded byHerod, who envisioned it as a potential refuge. Herod constructed a palace, cisterns, amikveh, atriclinium, and aperistyle within the fortress. After thefall of Jerusalem during theFirst Jewish–Roman War, the fortress became a magnet for resistance againstRoman rule. Following a siege byLegio X Fretensis underBassus in 71 CE, the Jewish defenders eventually surrendered after Eleazar, a key leader, was captured. However, the Romans reneged on their agreement regarding the non-Jewish inhabitants, massacring the men and enslaving the women and children.[4]
According to theJewish-Roman historianFlavius Josephus, Machaerus was the location of the imprisonment and execution ofJohn the Baptist.[5] According to the chronology of the Bible (Mark 6:24;Matthew 14:8), the execution took place in about 32 CE shortly before thePassover, following an imprisonment of two years. The site also provides the setting for four additionalNew Testament figures:Herod the Great; his son, TetrarchHerod Antipas; his second wife, PrincessHerodias; and her daughter, PrincessSalome.[6]
The fortress Machaerus was originally built by theHasmonean king,Alexander Jannaeus (104 BC-78 BC) in about the year 90 BC,[7] serving an important strategic position. Its high, rocky vantage point was difficult to access, and invasions from the east could be easily spotted from there. It was also in line of sight of other Hasmonean (and later Herodian) citadels, so other fortresses could be signaled if trouble appeared on the horizon.[8] Nevertheless, it was destroyed byPompey's generalGabinius in 57 BC,[9] but later rebuilt byHerod the Great in 30 BC to be used as a military base to safeguard his territories east of the Jordan.
Upon the death of Herod the Great, the fortress was passed to his son,Herod Antipas, who ruled from 4 BC until 39 AD. It was during this time, at the beginning of the first century of theCommon Era, thatJohn the Baptist was imprisoned andbeheaded at Machaerus.[10]
After the deposition and banishment of Herod Antipas in 39 AD, Machaerus passed toHerod Agrippa I until his death in AD 44, after which it came underRoman control. Jewish rebels took control after AD 66 during theFirst Jewish Revolt.[11] Shortly after defeating the Jewish garrison ofHerodium, the Roman legateLucilius Bassus advanced on Machaerus with his troops and began siege in AD 72. An embankment and ramp were created in order to facilitateRoman siege engines but the Jewish rebels capitulated before the Roman attack had begun. The rebels were allowed to leave and the fortress was torn down, leaving only the foundations intact.
Josephus gives a full description of Machaerus inThe Jewish War 7.6.1 ff. The hilltop, which stands about 1,100 meters above Dead Sea level, is surrounded on all sides by deep ravines which provide great natural strength. The valley on the west extends 60stadia to the Dead Sea (Josephus refers to it as Lake Asphaltitis). The valley on the east descends to a depth of a hundred cubits (150 ft).
Herod the Great regarded the place as deserving the strongest fortification, particularly because of its proximity toArabia. On top of the mountain, surrounding the crest, he built a fortress wall, 100 meters long and 60 meters wide with three corner towers, each sixty cubits (90 ft) high. The palace was built in the center of the fortified area. Numerouscisterns were provided to collect rain water.
The royal courtyard is considered one of the closest and best existing archaeological parallels to the HerodianGabbatha in the Jerusalem Praetorium, wherePontius Pilate judgedJesus of Nazareth.[12]
The village on the plateau to the east of the mountain is calledMukawir (Arabic:مكاور, sometimes also rendered asMkawer).[13][14] The site was visited in 1807 by the Frisian explorerUlrich Jasper Seetzen, and the name of the village reminded him of the name of Machaerus inGreek. The archaeological excavation of Machaerus was begun in 1968 byJerry Vardaman, then of theSouthern Baptist Theological Seminary, and later director of theCobb Institute of Archaeology atMississippi State University. In 1973, the German scholar, August Strobel, identified and studied the wall by which the Romans encircled the defenders within the fortress. In 1978–1981, excavations were carried out byVirgilio Corbo,Stanislao Loffreda and Michele Piccirillo, from theStudium Biblicum Franciscanum inJerusalem.
Within the fortified area are the ruins of the Herodian palace, including rooms, a large courtyard, and an elaborate bath, with fragments of the floor mosaic still remaining. Farther down the eastern slope of the hill are other walls and towers, perhaps representing the "lower town," of which Josephus also wrote.[15] Traceable also, coming from the east, is the aqueduct that brought water to the cisterns of the fortress. Pottery found in the area extends from lateHellenistic to Roman periods and confirms the two main periods of occupation, namely, Hasmonean (90 BC-57 BC) and Herodian (30 BC-AD 72), with a brief reoccupation soon after AD 72 and then nothing further—so complete and systematic was the destruction visited upon the site by the Romans.
In the spring of 2014, archeologistGyőző Vörös, with a team from theHungarian Academy of Arts and in cooperation withPrince El Hassan bin Talal and Monther Jamhawi, director general of antiquities in Jordan, completed a reconstruction and re-erection of two ancient columns at the site on the basis of the principle ofanastylosis. OneDoric column from the royal courtyard and oneIonic column from the royal bathhouse were cleaned and conservedin situ and joined with stainless steel empolia (plugs) which were inserted into the original empolia holes in the center of the column. The team also created a digital reconstruction of what the palace would have looked like, based on their archaeological findings.[16]
