Herod commences major renovation and expansion of Temple II, rebuilt approximately 500 years earlier under the Persian satrap, the Jew Zerubavel.
The newly renovated complex is popularly called “Herod’s Temple.”
Herod’s Temple complex will be somewhere between 5–15 times larger than Zerubavel’s (approximately 500 ‘x 165’ complex).
With the entire Temple complex constructed on a perfectly horizontal carved–out plateau, and made of white stone, and with the central Temple itself constructed exclusively of glistening white marble, Herod’s Temple will be one of the Wonders of the World.
Counterpoised against Herod’s glistening white Temple, where doves are sacrificed to God, 1,426 miles to the west is the symbol of Rome, the gladiator amphitheatre, where human prisoners were pitted against each other and wild animals for daytime entertainment. The Roman state–sponsored gore and sadism in the public amphitheatre would only be trumped by the licentiousness in the Palace itself.
Before Herod can commence (the grandiose–planned) construction, however, the wary Jewish priesthood authority requires Herod to quarry at least all the foundation and central Temple stone. They had good reason to be wary of Herod’s planned construction: the largest foundation bricks were to weigh 628 tons. (We know the weight because these bricks still exist in place today).
Inasmuch as only Kohanim (the Jewish priest class) are permitted to enter the central zones of the Temple, 1,000 Kohanim were trained as masons and stone–cutters.
It is not clear how long the entire process took from start to finish; estimates range from 3 years to 25 years. But Herod was good at completing projects and an experienced mastermind. So, the central Temple was probably complete within two years, with the entire Temple Complex essentially complete within fourteen years (by 8 BCE).
“He who has not seen the Temple of Herod,
has never seen anything truly beautiful.”
– (alleged) First Century BCE saying
Note: Temple functions (including karbanot, or animal sacrifices) apparently continued uninterrupted throughout construction (somehow).