About Ehud Netzer
Ehud Netzer (Hebrew: אהוד נצר; 13 May 1934 – 28 October 2010) was an Israeli architect, archaeologist and educator, known for his extensive excavations at Herodium, where in 2007 he found and identified the tomb of Herod the Great; and the discovery of a structure defined by Netzer as a synagogue, which, if true would be the oldest one ever found (the "Wadi Qelt Synagogue"). Netzer served as a professor at the Institute of Archaeology at the Hebrew University in Jerusalem. He was a world-renowned expert on Herodian architecture. Netzer worked at Masada with Yigael Yadin, and later completed the official excavation report for the site. He later led teams of archaeologists like Rachel Chachy, who did important fieldwork at the Herodian palace at Jericho. At Herodium, in the desert near Bethlehem and south of Jerusalem, for more than three decades, Netzer oversaw extensive excavations focusing on remains at the foot and on the sides of the partially artificial mountain. Along its path were discovered a theater and a 6.5 meter wide monumental staircase, which led past a platform and remains which, in May 2007, Netzer identified as the probable tomb of King Herod,although the tomb and its content had been demolished. The complex includes a structure built 70-50 BCE and identified in 1998 by Netzer as a synagogue, which has been contested, but if proven true would be the oldest synagogue that has ever been found (the "Wadi Qelt synagogue").
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