Nov. 19 (Bloomberg) -- Excavations at a site near Jerusalem support the view that it is the mausoleum of King Herod the Great, according to the Hebrew University of Jerusalem.

The tomb was originally about 25 meters high, a size that excavation director Ehud Netzer said would have been appropriate to a figure of Herod's political stature, the university's Institute of Archeology said in a news release today.

Digging work has continued this year at the structure first uncovered in May 2007 at Herodium, a hilltop fortress built by Herod 15 kilometers south of Jerusalem and east of Bethlehem.

Netzer said the tomb was vandalized by Jewish forces during the Judean revolt against Rome, according to the release.

Herod was the Roman-appointed ruler of Judea, today modern Israel and the West Bank. He is famed for building the desert fortress of Masada and rebuilding Jerusalem's Second Temple, and for his depiction in the New Testament as a tyrant at the time of Jesus's birth.

To contact the writer on the story: Calev Ben-David in Jerusalem at cbendavid@bloomberg.net.

Last Updated: November 19, 2008 09:48 EST