Israel's government has announced that a leading archaeologist has died of injuries suffered in a fall during a dig.
Ehud Netzer was directing an excavation at the King Herod-era site near Bethlehem Monday when he fell 10 feet after a railing collapsed.
He died of his injuries Thursday in a Jerusalem hospital.
Netzer, 76, was known for pinpointing an ancient synagogue and palace in Jericho. He was an expert on Herodian, a man-made hill where King Herod built a palace and refuge in the southern desert of the West Bank in the first century B.C.
Netzer discovered Herod's tomb there in 2007.
In a statement, Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu said Netzer's "tragic death is a loss for his family, for research into the heritage of Israel and for archaeology."