Archaeologist Ehud Netzer of the Hebrew University of Jerusalem and his team have found a royal viewing box that was a part of King Herod's private theater at his fortress of Herodium, 7.5 miles south of Jerusalem.
The fully excavated seating area exemplifies the luxurious court of Herod in the time leading up to the coming of Christ.
The back and sides of the viewing box, which was used at the pleasure of the king, his family and close friends, were richly painted and decorated with plaster moldings. The style is unlike any previous styles discovered in Israel and is likely Roman in origin, created by artists from Italy. It was dated approximately to the year 15 B.C. (Ronen Shnidman, "King Herod's Royal Theater Box Uncovered at Herodium," JPost.com, Sept. 15, 2010).
