It has just been officially reported that Ehud Netzer has died today. We mourn the passing of Ehud, who has died after a fall at his beloved Herodium on Monday. The archaeologist (and trained architect) most closely identified with the building projects of Herod the Great, he has dug at Masada, Jericho and Herodium. He fell six metres in an excavation area close to the site of Herod’s Tomb, which his team recently discovered after a search of 35 years.
Taking down from the Herodian section of our bookshelf, his “The Architecture of Herod, the Great Builder,” which synthesises his life’s work, we read:
“Herod’s grasp of the realm of construction seems to me beyond the times in which he lived. The combination of a vibrant ruler, having an analytical mind and at the same time a pragmatic approach, together with a far reaching imagination, led him to initiate building projects that reflect a line of thought similar to that of an architect acting in the 20th or 21st century C.E.!”
Ehud’s passing is a great loss, not only to his wife Dvorah and family, but to all who love Israel.
I deeply rgret the passing of Ehud who visited me in my art garden about seven
years ago.That was in Hitzum,Fryslan.
I rememember him as a thoughtfull sage, a minimalist who in a few words spread
a universe of wisdom.That was,in my modest opinion, his strength.
I congratulate his wife with the omnipresence of his eternal life.