King Herod's tomb found

An Israeli archaeologist has found the tomb of King Herod, the legendary builder of ancient Jerusalem and the Holy Land, at a compound on a hill south of the city, the Hebrew University announced late tonight.

The tomb is at a site called Herodium, a flattened hilltop in the Judean Desert, clearly visible from southern Jerusalem.

Herod built a palace compound in the hill, and researchers have discovered his burial site there, the university said.

The university hoped to keep the find a secret until tomorrow, when it planned a news conference to disclose the find in detail, but the Haaretz daily found out about the discovery and published an article on its website. Herod became the ruler of the Holy Land under the Romans around 74 BC.

The wall he built around the Old City of Jerusalem during the time of the Jewish Second Temple is the one that can be seen today.

He also undertook massive construction projects in Caesaria, Jericho, the hilltop fortress of Massada and other locations.