A sarcophagus from Herodium. It was attributed by the site’s excavator (archaeologist Prof. Ehud Netzer) to King Herod. It is decorated only on its narrow front (with a wreath). 1st century BCE. Early Roman period.

Alternative assessment : The sarcophagus did not belong to King Herod himself but to another member of the Herodian family, and was placed in the mausoleum in a visible location at Herodium as a decoy to conceal the true burial place of King Herod’s sarcophagus (located elsewhere within Herodium).

The sarcophagus was deliberately smashed, apparently shortly after Herod’s death, due to the people’s hatred toward the king.