Early Judaism- A Comprehensive Overview

new style also appears outside the court, as in the mosaics in the Upper

City of Jerusalem and the wall paintings at Yodefat and Gamla.

The temples that Herod had built offer good examples of the complex

blend of Hellenistic and indigenous traditions. The general layout of the

Jerusalem Temple precinct resembles other contemporaneous sanctuaries

in Heliopolis (Ba}albek), Damascus, and Palmyra (see figs. 65-67). The

porticoes and stoa around the platform followed the best of Greek style

and employed lavish classical decoration with meanders, rosettes, and flo-

ral designs. The sanctuary provided space for thousands of pilgrims, scores

of cultic officials, and numerous installations. Although the Temple itself

was built in centuries-old oriental fashion, the entire sanctuary reflected

Herod’s participation in the cultural koine of his time.

Herod’s outlook is also visible in the promotion and architectural em-

bellishment of traditional Semitic cult centers in Mamre, Hebron, and

Paneion. In Mamre and Hebron the old cultic installations were sur-

rounded with a monumental perimeter wall made in the same style as the

Temple platform in Jerusalem. In Paneion the traditional cave sanctuary

was embellished with a temple building placed directly in front of the

grotto.

Settlement Activity

The Herodian age brought an intensification of settlement activity that

was connected to and enabled a rise in population. Surveys in the Galilee

have demonstrated that the decades after the turn of the era produced the

greatest density in settlement before the Byzantine period. The same can

be said of the area around the Dead Sea (see map 10). Here, old structures

were expanded (Qumran) and new ones added ({Ein Feshkha). Entirely

new settlements (e.g., Livias and Callirhoe) filled gaps in the regional in-

frastructure. Even the most luxurious palaces, such as those at Callirhoe

and Jericho, were not isolated but integrated into large complexes.

Qumran

One of the most famous and controversial sites is Khirbet Qumran, lo-

cated about fifteen kilometers south of Jericho on the western shore of the

Dead Sea (see fig. 36 and map 12). Excavated by Roland de Vaux between

339

Archaeology, Papyri, and Inscriptions

EERDMANS -- Early Judaism (Collins and Harlow) final text
Tuesday, October 09, 2012 12:04:13 PM