Israeli Archaeologists Uncover Lost Royal Palace at Dramatic Mountaintop Fortress of Alexandrium
Tel Aviv, December 5, 2025 (BNN Web Staff)– In a breakthrough that dramatically expands our understanding of ancient Jewish royal power, archaeologists have discovered the remains of a previously unknown royal palace on the windswept northwestern slope of Alexandrium (Sartaba), a spectacular mountaintop fortress towering 650 metres above the Jordan Valley.
The find, announced today by Bar-Ilan University, transforms Alexandrium from a “mere” stronghold into one of the most extensive palace-fortress complexes of the Hasmonean and Herodian periods.
“This is not just another building — it’s a royal palace that was completely missing from the historical record,” said excavation director Dr Dvir Raviv. “Josephus, our only written source, never mentioned it. Every stone we uncover here is rewriting the map of ancient Jewish royal architecture.”
Key Discoveries
- Two massive column drums (40 cm diameter, 60 cm tall) in the unmistakable monumental Herodian style seen at Masada, Herodium, and Jericho.
- Architectural fragments confirming a luxurious palace on the northwestern slope, complementing the already-known eastern palace with its white mosaic floor.
- Evidence that the entire hilltop was a sprawling royal complex, far larger and more splendid than previously realised.
Built originally by Hasmonean king Alexander Yannai (103–76 BCE) and lavishly renovated by Herod the Great, Alexandrium served as:
- A strategic watchtower signalling Jerusalem from the Jordan Valley
- A royal residence and treasury
- A prison (Herod’s mother-in-law and two sons were held here)
- A burial site for Hasmonean royalty
The fortress was destroyed by the Romans in 57 BCE and may have been reused by Jewish rebels during the Great Revolt (66–73 CE).
A Four-Decade Wait Ends
The last systematic excavation took place in the 1980s, but no final report was ever published. Raviv’s team essentially started from scratch, relying only on old photographs, notes, and inscribed pottery sherds (ostraca) bearing Judaean names.
The renewed dig — the first in 40 years — began in March 2025 with support from Israel’s Ministry of Heritage and is being conducted in cooperation with the Civil Administration’s Archaeology Unit in Area C of Judea and Samaria.
Bigger Picture: Protecting Jewish Heritage
The discovery comes amid a major Israeli push to preserve archaeological sites in Judea and Samaria:
- An unprecedented $33 million government budget allocated for Area C heritage preservation
- Land expropriation near biblical Sebastia for site development
- The first-ever international conference on Judea and Samaria archaeology (February 2025)
Yet Israeli archaeologists working in these areas remain effectively blacklisted by much of the global academic community, unable to publish in leading journals — a situation critics call the politicised erasure of biblical history.
“This palace is tangible proof of Jewish sovereignty here 2,000 years ago,” Raviv told TPS-IL. “We’re only at the beginning. There is so much more waiting under these slopes.”
As winter rains pause the dig, one thing is clear: the lost royal splendour of Alexandrium is finally coming back to light — one monumental column at a time.
