12 October 2025 The Future is the Product of the Past

The place where John the Baptist was martyred

The infamous birthday banquet of Herod Antipas, which culminated in the beheading of St John the Baptist — a preacher who foretold the coming of Jesus — was sentenced to death around A.D. 29, took place in the royal city of Machaerus, east of the Dead Sea in what is now the country of Jordan.

The site of Herod’s palace was conclusively identified in 1968, when a German scholar uncovered the ruins of the siege wall constructed by the Roman soldiers, after being lost for more than a thousand years after it was demolished by the Romans at the conclusion of the First Jewish Revolt in 71/72 A.D.

Dr. Gyz Vörös, a Hungarian architect and archaeologist, has directed the excavation and restoration operations at Machaerus for more than a decade, after winning a contract from Jordan’s Royal Department of Antiquities.

Dr. Vörös was in Rome to receive the Pontifical Academies’ coveted Gold Medal of the Pontificate in honor of his excellent work on Machaerus, which has been published in three volumes.

Machaerus
Machaerus ruins

After receiving the Dr. Győző Vörös award, he attended an interview with Christopher Wells of Vatican Radio.



📣 Our WhatsApp channel is now LIVE! Stay up-to-date with the latest news and updates, just click here to follow us on WhatsApp and never miss a thing!!



“They contacted me in 2009 as an answer to the wish of his Holiness, the Pope emeritus Benedict XVI, as during his papal visit to Jordan, he expressed his interest concerning Machaerus, or Macheronte in Italian; the most important Gospel scene in Jordan,” said Dr. Vörös, in an interview with Vatican News.

“They wanted to have it seriously excavated and also discover the opportunities for monument presentation [and] the conservation of the ruins.”

 Time capsule

The Bible and the ancient writer Flavius Josephus (A.D. 37-100) both describe how King Herod Antipas, a son of King Herod, had John the Baptist executed. Josephus specified that the execution took place at Machaerus, a fort near the Dead Sea in modern-day Jordan. The location of John’s execution was confirmed some 250 years later by the Christian writer Eusebius of Pamphilia.

Herod Antipas feared the growing influence of John the Baptist among the population and so he executed him Josephus wrote. The Bible, on the other hand, tells a far more elaborate tale, claiming that Herod Antipas had John the Baptist executed in exchange for a dance.

Archaeologists believe that this niche represents the remains of the throne of Herod Antipas. From here, the decision to execute John the Baptist may have been made. (Photo: Győző Vörös)
Archaeologists believe that this niche represents the remains of the throne of Herod Antipas. From here, the decision to execute John the Baptist may have been made. (Photo: Győző Vörös)

“In addition to the uniqueness of its historical value, there are two unique characteristics” of Machaerus, said Dr Vörös. The first “is that it is an archaeological site [that has] remained as a time capsule… it’s unbelievable. It’s a miracle that you have a Gospel scene that has survived as an archaeological time capsule.”

The site is also unique in that it affords historians – but also visitors – the opportunity to gain a truly accurate picture of a Gospel event.

Dr. Vörös and his team have been able to present a reconstruction of Herod’s palace, the very place where the daughter of Herodias danced for Herod Antipas and his guests and was promised the head of John the Baptist.

“These are Bible illustrations of reality, and this is the heart of the [archaeological] mission” at Marchaeus, said Dr Vörös. He said, adding that archaeological research is able to provide “the framework and the real context for the Gospels in the Holy Land.”

Noting that we will soon mark the 2,000th anniversary of the martyrdom of St John the Baptist (who died in 28 or 29 A.D.), Dr. Vörös said he hopes the archaeological site of Machaerus will be ready to be presented “in a very clear way, a very authentic way, which is most important” – and that he hopes, with the Jordanian authorities, that Machaerus “will be once again on the map of the Holy Land when the next Pope of Rome will visit this sacred archaeological site.”

Vatican News

Related Articles

Archaeologists Uncovered a 1,600-Year-Old Rare Mikveh and Synagogue in Ostia Antica, Near Rome

13 March 2025

13 March 2025

In a remarkable archaeological discovery, researchers have unearthed a 1,600-year-old rare mikveh (ritual bath) and an ancient synagogue at the...

A 2,200-Year-Old Monumental Pyramidal Structure Discovered in the Judean Desert

26 March 2025

26 March 2025

In a remarkable archaeological breakthrough, Israeli archaeologists have uncovered a monumental pyramidal structure in the Judean Desert, dating back 2,200...

2,300-Year-Old Gold Ring Reveals Jerusalem’s Hidden Hellenistic Rituals

27 May 2025

27 May 2025

A remarkable gold ring recently uncovered in Jerusalem is offering fresh insight into Hellenistic-era rituals, ancient jewelry traditions, and the...

A previously unknown Roman fort discovered in Pembrokeshire in Wales

8 August 2024

8 August 2024

A previously unknown Roman fort has been discovered in north Pembrokeshire. The site, which has excited archaeologists, had been hidden...

Scientists unlock the ‘Cosmos’ on the Antikythera Mechanism

13 March 2021

13 March 2021

Scientists may have finally made a complete digital model of the 2000-year-old Cosmos panel of a mechanical device called the...

Luxurious 2,200-year-old King Tomb Discovered in China

3 May 2024

3 May 2024

Archaeologists have unearthed a luxurious 2,200-year-old tomb in eastern China, the largest, highest-ranking, and most structurally complex ever unearthed, which...

12,000-Year-Old Grid-Plan Structures and Water Channel Discovered at Çayönü Mound

29 July 2025

29 July 2025

New Neolithic-era discoveries at Çayönü in southeastern Türkiye, dating back to approximately 10,200–6,500 BCE, include four grid-plan buildings and a...

A Unique 2000-Year-Old Oil Lamp Found in Israel

5 May 2021

5 May 2021

Archaeologists have discovered a rare 2,000-year-old oil lamp in David, Jerusalem. Archaeologists have discovered a rare oil lamp, shaped like...

Ancient Yayoi Period Settlement Discovered on Tokyo Condo Development Site

10 December 2023

10 December 2023

Excavations at the former site of the British Embassy in Tokyo’s Chiyoda Ward have uncovered the remains of a Yayoi...

Ancient Christian Mosaics Unearthed in İznik as Pope Leo XIV Prepares Historic Visit

18 May 2025

18 May 2025

A set of remarkably preserved mosaics, believed to date back to the early Christian era, have been discovered during foundation...

3500-year-old menhir discovered in Mahbubabad, India

15 March 2022

15 March 2022

Six feet in height stone, also called a menhir, was found on the roadside of Ellarigudem, a hamlet of Beechrajupally...

Rare Indian Jital Coin Found in Elite Female “Princely” Grave Near Suzdal

3 September 2025

3 September 2025

Archaeologists working in the medieval necropolis of Gnezdilovo, near Suzdal — a historic town in today’s Vladimir Oblast, Russia —...

Unlucky medieval woman underwent at least two skull surgeries in Longobard Italy

14 February 2023

14 February 2023

A detailed examination of the skull of a woman who lived at the medieval settlement of Castel Trosino in central...

A Fig Dating Back Over 2,000 Years has been Discovered in North Dublin – A First of Its Kind for Ireland

28 November 2024

28 November 2024

The discovery of a fig dating back 2,000 years during an archaeological excavation of Drumanagh in north Dublin, has been...

7 Gold Pendants Found Buried by Ancient Scandinavian Elites as a Sacrifice to the Gods

13 May 2021

13 May 2021

7 gold necklaces were found in a field near the Norwegian municipality of Østfold County Rade. Researchers believe that these...