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Pompey the Great destroyed the Hasmonean desert
fortresses, and Herod built all but one of his on their ruins.
Here is the list, from north to south: Agrippina (north of the desert), probably
where the Crusaders built their fortress of Belvoir; Alexandreion on the mountain
of Sartabe, at the entrance of Wadi Fari'a; Docus on the "Mount of Temptation,"
protecting the road that leads from Jericho to the Benjamin Plateau; Threx and
Cyprus, flanking the entrance to Wadi Qilt, which leads to Jerusalem; Hyrcania,
dominating a desert valley whose roads lead to Bethlehem; Machaerus, on the
eastern cliff of the Dead Sea (here Herod's son Antipas had John the Baptist
beheaded); Herodion (the only one founded by Herod), east of Bethlehem;
and Masada.
This line of fortresses made good defensive sense in the Hasmonean period and the early part of Herod's reign. Once he controlled Perea east of the Jordan, they lost much of their relevance, except as potential bunkers in a time of need.
© 2003 Near East Tourist Agency (NET) Text © 2003 Stephen Langfur
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