Machaerus (Μαχαιροῦς, from Ancient Greek:  μάχαιρα "Makhaira" (a sword); Arabic: ِقلعة المشناقى‎ Qal'atu l-Mishnāqá) is a fortified hilltop palace located in Jordan fifteen miles (24 km) southeast of the mouth of the Jordan river on the eastern side of the Dead Sea. According to Flavius Josephus, it is the location of the imprisonment and execution of John the Baptist. According to the chronology of the Bible (Mark 6:24; Matthew 14:8), this infamous execution took place in 32 AD shortly before the Passover, following an imprisonment of two years.