Herod's grave discovered

Archaeologists have unearthed the grave of King Herod the Great, the ruler of Jerusalem who attempted to kill Jesus soon after his birth, it was announced today.

Professor Ehud Netzer, of the Hebrew University in Jerusalem, said that he had finally located the king's last resting place in Herodium, Herod's fortified palace on a hilltop outside Jerusalem, after a 35-year search.

"This is significant because of Herod's importance to Christianity and Judaisim and the number of buildings he left behind," he said.

Herod is best known for the Slaughter of the Innocents, which is recounted in the Gospel According To Matthew. On learning of the birth of Jesus, Herod instructed the three wise men to find Jesus so he could also worship him.

The wise men realised that Herod meant to kill Jesus and warned Joseph to flee with his family. When Herod discovered that he had been tricked, he ordered the killing of all boys under the age of two to protect himself from the new "king".

Historians and archaeologists believed that Herod was buried close to the hilltop fortress he built on a man-made mountain near Bethlehem but despite decades of excavation the site has never been located.