Israeli archaeologists uncover remains of dramatic mountaintop royal palace

Months after relaunching excavations on the eastern side of the site, researchers have now found remains of a newly identified royal palace on the northwestern slope. The find suggests the stronghold was part of a far more extensive royal complex than previously known.

"It sheds light on the architectural style and the function of the site, which is not mentioned by Josephus, our only historical source for the period," Dvir Raviv of Bar-Ilan University, director of the excavation, told The Press Service of Israel. "So any archaeological find is significant."

Among the discoveries at the fortress, perched above Mount Sartaba, are two column drums, 40 centimetres in diameter and 60 centimetres tall. Raviv said the columns match the monumental Herodian style from the 1st century CE, familiar from Masada and other desert fortresses, reinforcing the royal nature of the structures uncovered so far.

The discovery expands what is known about Alexandrium, the palace fortress built by the Hasmonean king Alexander Yannai and later renovated by Herod the Great.

Alexandrium was described by Josephus as "a fortress built in great splendour on a high mountain." The site played a central role in the violent struggles within the Hasmonean dynasty and later in Herod's rise, serving at various times as a place of imprisonment, hospitality, and even royal burial.

Historical sources record that the site was destroyed by the Romans in 57 BCE, several years after Roman general Pompey conquered Judea (63 BCE). It may have been used by Jewish rebels during the Great Revolt against Rome (66-73 CE), Raviv added.

The site was last excavated in the 1980s, but no final report was ever published. Raviv and his team therefore began almost from scratch, relying only on ostraca -- inscribed pottery sherds -- with Judaean names, notes, and photographs left by earlier researchers. One known remnant from the earlier dig is a white mosaic floor that once paved the palace on the eastern slope.

With support from the Ministry of Heritage, the renewed excavation began in March, marking the first systematic work at the site in four decades. The project aims to resolve lingering questions about the fortress, its architectural development, and its role during the Hasmonean and Herodian periods.

The newly identified palace on the northwestern slope clarifies both the scale and splendour of the hilltop complex. With Josephus offering only brief references to Alexandrium, physical evidence is essential for understanding how the Hasmoneans and Herod built and used the fortress. According to Raviv, the architectural fragments uncovered so far allow archaeologists to reconstruct portions of the palace layout and better understand its function.

The excavation is being carried out by Bar-Ilan University in cooperation with the Staff Officer of Archaeology at the Civil Administration in Judea and Samaria, as the site lies in Area C of Judea and Samaria, under Israeli administrative and security jurisdiction.

Raviv says this season's discoveries are likely only the beginning. "We hope to uncover more," he told TPS-IL.

As TPS-IL reported in April, Israeli archaeologists find themselves effectively blacklisted by the international academic community, unable to publish findings from Judea and Samaria. The politics-driven policies of the academic archaeological world result in the erasing of biblical history. Meanwhile, the Palestinian Authority deliberately strives to wipe out evidence of the Jewish connection to the land and imperils sites of tremendous historical value, archaeological experts told TPS-IL.

In an attempt to change the equation, the Israeli government allocated an unprecedented USD 33 million budget to preserve archaeological sites in Area C.

In mid-November, the Civil Administration began expropriating land near the ancient Biblical capital of Sebastia for the "preservation and development" of the archaeological site there.

As another part of this effort, the Israel Antiquities Authority, together with leading universities, organised the first international conference on Judea and Samaria archaeology and site conservation, which attracted dozens of researchers from many countries in February.

To further protect Jewish heritage sites, there have been calls to extend the Israel Antiquities Authority's jurisdiction to Judea and Samaria, replacing the Civil Administration's Archaeology Staff Officer. Proponents argue that the Civil Administration is not equipped to deal with the challenges of preserving and excavating sites. Critics warn that this move may get all Israeli archaeology banned from international cooperation. (ANI/TPS)