THE PALACES AT JERICHO

There were a number of palaces at the oasis-compound of Jericho. The first was built by the Hasmonean royal family - they were the dynasty that preceded Herod the Great.

THE HASMONEAN PALACE

Gardens and Pool at Jericho      Click for information

This was the first of the palaces at Jericho. It had an open courtyard surrounded by rooms, in the much-admired Hellenistic style.

There were elegant rooms for entertaining (triclinia) with colonnaded facades, and bathrooms with bathtubs. These rooms were decorated with colored frescoes in imitation of marble, set in geometric patterns. 

Bathing was popular among the upper classes - not just for cleanliness but as a status symbol. Only the wealthy, the leisured classes, could afford to be clean all the time. Anyone who worked could not.

As well, bathing was favored by Greeks and Romans, who dictated what was ín'.

Towards the end of the Hasmonean period, the palace complex was renovated and a more luxurious bathhouse was added. It had several rooms, some with frescoes. The main room in the bathhouse was paved with mosaic, in red, black and white geometric patterns. 

It also had the traditional Jewish mikveh, a double-entrance pool for ritual bathing - Herod was careful to adhere to Jewish practice.

Cleopatra           Click for information

HEROD'S FIRST PALACE

This lay on the southern bank of Wadi Qelt, a valley running between Jerusalem and Jericho.

The land around the palace has an interesting story.

It was given as a gift from the love-besotted Mark Antony to Cleopatra who, being a good business-woman as well as a fabulous Eastern queen, promptly leased it back to Herod.

This palace was fortified, with only one entrance gate - Herod was always ultra-careful about security. It also had a large peristyle courtyard at its center, surrounded by rooms on three sides.

There was also an elaborate bathhouse in the Roman style, with six rooms - Herod was determined to offer his guests every comfort, and reinforce the idea that though he was a parvenu, he was as cultured as any other king in the Roman world.

THE SECOND PALACE

Reconstructed Jericho Palace         Click for information

This palace was built after the destruction of the Hasmonean palace by earthquake - Jericho was plagued by earthquakes throughout its history.

When it was built, the twin swimming pools were altered - joined into a single large one (32x18m) and surrounded by gardens.

Trees and shrubs were planted in clay pots set into the ground. Many of them were found in their original position.

It is interesting to speculate about the plants contained in these pots. Mosaics tell us what plants grew in Roman gardens, and botanists have analysed the seeds and roots of plants that were carbonized at Pompeii.

But plants that grew in Pompeii, particularly roses, would not have survived the summer heat at Jericho. What did they have? Were there palms? And what else?

The palace itself had a magnificent view of the surrounding countryside.

Excavations of Second Palace   Click for information

It was divided into two wings, the northern built on a terrace 5 meters higher than the southern, and connected by a broad staircase.

The southern wing of the palace had 

• a pool surrounded by a row of columns
• a spacious courtyard
• a large hall opening towards the pool via a row of columns on its facade
• another splendid bathhouse, its rooms paved with mosaics, its walls decorated with frescoes.

THE THIRD PALACE

This was the largest palace, the grandest, covering over seven acres.

It used Roman building techniques: walls with a core of concrete, with small stone squares and rectangles used as facing. Herod probably imported Roman craftsmen and builders to construct it.

Plans of the Third Palace, Jericho            Click for information

It included halls, multi-purpose rooms, peristyle courtyards and a large bathhouse.

The main entrance was in the south, opposite the bridge. Its walls were decorated with frescoes and its ceiling with stucco.

At the center of the building was a courtyard surrounded by columns on three sides.

On the northern side of the courtyards was a plaza leading to a long, splendidly decorated room, probably the Throne Room where Herod received his visitors and courtiers. Another large hall on the western side of the palace was probably used for large parties and receptions.

The southern wing of the palace included a sunken garden and a large pool.

Was this where the young prince Aristobulus was murdered?
See Herod at Jericho for the story.

 These palaces were for the rich and powerful. But what about ordinary people? Like the despised tax collector Zacchaeus who lived in the city of Jericho?

See JESUS AT JERICHO for the story...

Ruins of a once-ornate garden pool at Jericho                                Click for information