Enormous Roman Basilica Dated to King Herod’s Reign Revealed in Israel At its height, the public building boasted opulent marble columns and sculptures

June 2021 – Archaeologists in Ashkelon, Israel, have revealed the country’s largest Roman-era basilica, or public building. Constructed during the first century B.C., the monumental structure dates to the reign of Herod the Great, a Judean king immortalized in the Bible as a murderous tyrant. (The BBC and Live Science note that most historians believe the infamous tale of his so-called massacre of the innocents is fictional.)