Among the many buildings and palaces that were built by Herod the Great throughout the city of Caesarea Maritima, perhaps reflecting his own grandiosity, the largest and most splendid palace would have been Herod's. On an east/west rectangular plan, this magnificent structure was perched on a lone promontory on the sea. As excavations reveal, built with two adjacent levels, known as the upper and lower palaces, the lower 80 x 55 meter (260 x 180 ft) structure, closest to the sea, boasted a semicircular colonnaded porch that looked out onto the water. From there, walking back into the building, perimeter rooms would have accessed an inner colonnaded courtyard, the space which was largely filled with a 35 x 18 meter (115 x 60 ft) freshwater pool. With a stairway leading up to it, the Upper Palace was dominated by a large 64 x 42 meter (210 x 138 foot) colonnaded courtyard.
The future significance of the palace is that it became the headquarters for Rome’s imperial activity in the area after Herod’s death. Rome's long-term presence is evident in a recent find at the palace of two pedestals with inscriptions that honor four Roman procurators, dating from the 2nd century to the early 4th century CE.
Using archaeological reports by Ehud Netzer, Barbara Burrell, Kenneth Holum, Robert Bull, and others, along with Josephus' eyewitness descriptions, the image you see is part of the collaborative work of Lithodomos and Patrick Scott Smith.
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APA Style
A., P. S. S. M. (2026, May 02). Herod's Palace, Caesarea Maritima. World History Encyclopedia. https://www.worldhistory.org/image/21735/herods-palace-caesarea-maritima/
Chicago Style
A., Patrick Scott Smith, M.. "Herod's Palace, Caesarea Maritima." World History Encyclopedia, May 02, 2026. https://www.worldhistory.org/image/21735/herods-palace-caesarea-maritima/.
MLA Style
A., Patrick Scott Smith, M.. "Herod's Palace, Caesarea Maritima." World History Encyclopedia, 02 May 2026, https://www.worldhistory.org/image/21735/herods-palace-caesarea-maritima/.
