of depression. he builds a series of fortified desert palaces along the eastern frontier, including masa da overlooking the dead sea. he built whole cities like at sez rhea on the coast, where in addition to building a city, he built the largest artificial harbor that had ever been constructed up to that point. and at samaria, the ancient capital of the northern kingdom of israel, he built another city. king herod is one of the main figures that have dominated palestinian geography, and we owe to him the monuments of palestine. prior to king herod, jerusalem was small, cramped, underdeveloped. basically he knocks it all down, and he starts again.