Machaerus was a Hasmonean hilltop palace and desert fortress, now in ruins, located in the village of Mukawir in modern-day Jordan, 25 km (16 mi) southeast of the mouth of the Jordan River on the eastern side of the Dead Sea. According to the Jewish-Roman historian Flavius Josephus, it was the location of the imprisonment and execution of John the Baptist. According to the chronology of the Bible, the execution took place in about 32 CE shortly before the Passover, following an imprisonment of two years. The site also provides the setting for four additional New Testament figures: Herod the Great; his son, Tetrarch Herod Antipas; his second wife, Princess Herodias; and her daughter, Princess Salome.
Panoramic view of Machaerus with the Dead Sea in the background.
The makhaira is a type of Ancient Greek bladed weapon and tool, generally a large knife or sword, similar in appearance to the modern day machete, with a single cutting edge.
Reconstructions of Mycenaean swords, the bottom one a makhaira-type sword.
The figure on the right is wielding a makhaira - indicated by its asymmetric guard and pommel and the curve of the cutting edge (uppermost in the image) of the blade whilst the back of the blade is flat. Attic figured pelike c. 460BC.
A man wielding a makhaira. Red figure amphora c. 460 BC
