CHAP. XXI.

OF THE TEMPLE, CITIES AND OTHER EDIFICES THAT WERE BUILT

BY HEROD; THE MAGNIFICENCE HE SHOWED TO FOREIGNERS;

AND HIS GENERAL GOOD FORTUNE.

IN the *fifteenth year of his reign, Herod rebuilt the temple, and encompassed a piece of land about it with a wall: which land was twice as large as that before inclosed. The expenses

he laid out upon it were also very great, and the riches about it were unspeakable. A sign of which you have in the cloisters that were erected about the temple; and †the citadel which was on its north side. The cloisters he built from the foundation : but the citadel he repaired at a vast expense. Nor was it other than a royal palace, which he called Antonia: in honour of Antony. He also built himself a palace in the upper city, containing two very large and most beautiful apartments: to which the holy house itself could not be compared in largeness. The one apartment he named Cæsareum; and the other Agrippium; from his two great friends.

Yet did he not preserve their memory by particular buildings only, with their names given them; but his generosity went as far as entire cities. For when he had built a most beautiful wall round a country in Samaria, twenty furlongs long, and had brought six thousand inhabitants into it, and had allotted to it a most fruitful piece of land; and in the midst of this city, thus built, had erected a very large temple to Cæsar; and had laid round about it a portion of sacred land of three furlongs and a half; he called the city

*The 18th. See Antiq. XV. 11.

This fort was first built, as it is supposed, by John Hyrcanus, and called Baris: the tower or citadel. It was afterward rebuilt, with great improvements, by Herod, under the government of Antonius; and was named from him the Tower of Antonia. And about the time when Herod rebuilt the temple, he seems to have put his last hand to it. See Antiq. XVIII. 5. Of the War, I. 3. and 5. It lay on the north-west side of the temple, and was a quarter as large.

*Sebaste and settled the affairs of the city, after a most regular manner.

And when Cæsar had farther bestowed upon him another additional country, he built him there also a temple of white marble; near the fountains of Jordan. The place is called Panium; where is a top of a mountain that is raised to an immense height; and at its side, beneath, or at its bottom, a dark cave opens itself: within which is a horrible precipice, that descends abruptly to a vast depth. It contains an immense quantity of water, which is immoveable: and when any body lets down any thing to measure the depth of the water, no length of cord is sufficient to reach it. Now the fountains of Jordan, rise at the roots of this cavity outwardly and as some think, this is the utmost origin of Jordan. But we shall speak of that amatter more accurately in our †following history.

But the king erected other places at Jericho also; between the citadel Cypros, and the former palace; such as were better and more useful than the former for travellers; and named them from the same friends of his. In short, there was not any place of his kingdom fit for the purpose, that was permitted to be without somewhat that was for Cæsar's honour. And when he had filled his own country with temples, he poured out the like plentiful marks of esteem into his province; and built many cities which he called Cæsareas.

And when he observed that there was a city by the sea side, called Strato's Tower, that was so much decayed, but by the happiness of its situation, was capable of great improvements, he rebuilt it all with white stone, and adorned it with several most splendid palaces; wherein he especially demonstrated his magnanimity. For the case was, that all the sea shore between Dora and Joppa, in the middle, between which this city is situate, had no good haven: insomuch that every one that sailed from Phoenicia for Egypt was obliged to lie in the stormy sea, by reason of the south wind that threatened them. Which wind, if it blow but a little fresh, such vast waves are raised, and dash upon the rocks, that upon their retreat, the

* From Sebastus, or Augustus. VOL. III.

+ See book III. chap. 10.

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sea is in a great ferment for a long way. But the king, by the expenses he was at, and the liberal disposal of them, overcame nature; and built a haven larger than was the *Pyræum at Athens. And in the inner retirements of the water he built other deep stations for the ships.

Now although the place where he built was greatly opposite to his purposes, yet did he so fully struggle with that difficulty, that the firmness of his building could not easily be conquered by the sea and the beauty and ornament of the works was such, as though he had not any difficulty in the operation. For when he had measured out as large a space as we have before mentioned, he let down stones into twenty fathom water: the greatest part of which were fifty feet in length, nine in depth, and ten in breadth; and some still larger. But when the haven was filled up to that depth, he enlarged that wall which was thus already extant above the sea, till it was two hundred feet wide. One hundred of which had buildings before it, in order to break the force of the waves: whence it was called Procumatia, or the first breaker of the waves; but the rest of the space was under a stone wall that run round it. On this wall were very large towers: the principal and most beautiful of which was called Drusium, from Drusus; who was son-in-law to Cæsar.

There were also a great number of arches where the mariners dwelt. And all the place before them round about was a large valley, or walk, for a quay or landing place to those that came on shore. But the entrance was on the north: because the north wind was there the most gentle of all the winds.† At the mouth of the haven were on each side three great colossi, supported by pillars: where those colossi that are on your left hand, as you sail into the port, are supported by a solid tower:

*That Josephus speaks truth, when he assures us that "The haven of this Casarea was made by Herod not lesser, but rather larger, than that famous haven at Athens called Pyræum," will appear, says Dean Aldrich, to him who compares the descriptions of that Athens in Thucydides and Pausanias, with this of Cæsarea in Josephus here, and in the Antiq. XV. 9. and XVII. 9.

+ For a particular account of the winds, which usually prevail in these parts, see Shaw's Travels, vol. i. p. 248, 8vo. B.

but those on the right hand are supported by two upright stones, joined together: which stones were larger than that tower which was on the other side of the entrance. Now there were continual edifices joined to the haven, which were also themselves of white stone and to this haven did the narrow streets of the city lead, and were built at equal distances one from another. And over against the mouth of the haven, upon an elevation, there was a temple for Cæsar; which was excellent, both in beauty and largeness and therein was a colossus of Cæsar, not less than that of Jupiter Olympius; which it was made to resemble. The other colossus of Rome was equal to that of Juno at Argos. So he dedicated the city to the province; and the haven to the sailors there but the honour of the building he ascribed to *Cæsar, and named it Cæsarea accordingly. He also built other edifices, the amphitheatre, theatre, and market-place, in a manner agreeable to that denomination: and appointed games every fifth year: and called them in like manner, Cæsar's games and he first himself proposed the largest prizes upon the hundred and ninety-second olympiad. In which not only the victors, but those that came next to them, and even those that came in the third place, were partakers of his royal bounty. He also rebuilt Anthedon; a city that lay on the coast, and had been demolished in the wars, and named it Agrippeum. Moreover, he had so great a kindness for his friend Agrippa, that he had his name engraved upon that gate which he had himself erected in the temple.†

Herod was also a lover of his father, if any other person ever were so. For he made a monument for his father; even that city which he built in the finest plain that was in his kingdom, and which had rivers and trees in abundanee, and named it Antipatris. He also built a wall about a citadel that lay above Jericho; and it was a very strong, and very fine building; and dedicated it to his mother, and called it Cypros. Moreover, he

* This building of cities by the name of Cæsar, as here, and in the Antiquities, related of Herod by Josephus, the Roman Historians attest to; as things then frequent in the provinces of that empire: as Dean Aldrich observes on this chapter.

+ Antiq. XIII. 13.

dedicated a tower that was at Jerusalem, and called it by the name of his brother Phasaelus; the structure, largeness, and magnificence of which, we shall describe hereafter. He also built another city in the valley, that leads northward from Jericho; and named it Phasaelis.

And as he transmitted to posterity the names of his family and his friends, so did he not neglect a memorial for himself; but built a fortress upon a mountain towards Arabia, and named it from himself *Herodium. And he called that hill that was of the shape of a woman's breast, and was sixty furlongs distant from Jerusalem, by the same name. He also bestowed much curious art upon it, and built round towers all about the top of it; and filled up the remaining space with most costly palaces round about: insomuch that not only the sight of the inner apartments was splendid; but great wealth was laid on the outward walls and roofs. Besides this, he brought a large quantity of water from a great distanee, and at vast charges: and raised an ascent to it of two hundred steps, of the whitest marble. For the hill was itself moderately high, and entirely factitious. He also built other palaces about the foot of the hill, sufficient to receive the furniture that was put into them. Insomuch, that on account of its containing all necessaries, the fortress might seem to be a city: but by the bounds it had, a palace only.

And when he had built so much, he showed the greatness of his soul to no small number of foreign cities. He built palaces for exercise at Tripoli, Damascus, and Ptolemais. He built a wall about Byblus: as also large rooms and cloisters, temples, and market-places, at Berytus and Tyre: with theatres at Sidon and Damascus. He also built aqueducts for those Laodiceans who lived by the sea-side and for those of Ascalon he built baths and costly fountains; as also cloisters round a court; that were admirable, both for their workmanship and

:

*There were two cities, or citadels; called Herodiums, in Judea; and both mentioned by Josephus not only here, but Antiq. XIV. 13. XV. 9. Of the War, I. 13. III. 8. One of them was 200, and the other 60 furlongs distant from Jerusalem. One of them is mentioned by Pliny, Hist. Nat. V. 14.