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Herod the Great (1st century BCE) was Governor of Galilee (47-40 BCE) and then King of Judaea (37-4 BCE). He was the head of the House of Herod, the son of Antipater and Cypros, and the brother of Phasael and Salome I. He had numerous wives (Doris, Mariamne, Mariamne II, Malthace, Cleopatra of Jerusalem), and children (Antipater II, Alexandros, Aristobulus IV, Herod Archelaus, Herod Antipas, Olympias, Herod Boethus, Herod Philip).

• This page is edited by Samuele Rocca, Israel

Overview

Herod the Great was the second son of the Idumean Antipater and the Nabatean Cypros; his siblings were Phasael and Salome I.

In 47 BCE Antipater was made procurator of Judea by Julius Caesar and appointed his sons Phasael and Herod as governors of Jerusalem and Galilee respectively.

In 43 BCE Antipater, who supported Cassius, was poisoned. Herod and Phasael were quick enough to switch allegiance to Mark Anthony and retain power.

In 40 BCE Herod faced an even greater challenge. The Hasmonean Antigonus allied himself with the Parthians and by deception captured both Phasael and the High Priest John Hyrcanus II. Hyrcanus was mutilated to make him unfit for the office; Phasael committed suicide.

Herod fled to Rome; the Senate accepted his plea and elected him King of the Jews with the task of restoring the power of Rome in the region against the Parthians. At the same time, Herod bethroned the granddaughter of John Hyrcanus II, Mariamne, to secure the support of the rival portion of the Hasmoneans to his cause against the Hasmonean Antigonus.

Herod achieved full victory; from 37 BCE to his death in 4 BCE he would be the sole and undisputed ruler of Judea. Herod always remained a loyal ally of the Romans and their leaders.

In 34 BCE Mark Anthony granted to Cleopatra the balsam plantations near Jericho, parts of Herod’s kingdom. In 32 BCE a civil war between Mark Anthony and Cleopatra on one side and Octavian on the other side. Herod, who sided with Mark Anthony begun a war against the Nabataeans and defeats them. After the battle of Actium, Herod sides with Octavian. In 30 BCE Herod met Octavian at Rhodes and he was confirmed as King of Judaea. Moreover, Herod received from Octavian Jericho, given by Mark Anthony to Cleopatra, the Decapolis region with the cities of Gadara and Hippos, the Samaria region, and the coastal cities of Gaza, Anthedon, and Straton Tower, made independent by Pompey and Gabinius.

The alliance of Herod with the Hasmoneans did not last long. Herod first killed Mariamne's brother, Aristobulus III, whom he had briefly appointed High Priest in 35 BCE. Then in 30 BCE Herod killed John Hyrcanus II, after treacherously inviting to return to Jerusalem from his confinement in Parthia. Ultimately, Mariamne also was executed in 29 BCE.

Between 27-25 BCE Herod sent 500 soldiers to Aelius Gallus, Prefect of Egypt in his campaign against Arabia. In 25 BCE, as famine and pestilence devastated the country, Herod appeal to Petronius, Prefect of Egypt, for help.

In 23-22 BCE Herod was given by Augustus the Districts of Trachonitis, Batanaea and Auranitis. Herod’s kingdom had by now the same borders of the Hasmonean kingdom at his gratest extension. Later on, in 20 BCE Augustus, when visiting Syria presented Herod with the territory of Zenodorus, which included Ituraea. In 18-17 BCE Herod travelled to Rome to bring home his sons Alexandros and Aristobulus IV.

In 15 BCE Agrippa visited Herod in Jerusalem. The following year, in 14 BCE Herod joined Agrippa in Asia Minor. There, he was received by the local Jewish communities. In 12 BCE, once more Herod travelled to Rome to accuse his sons Alexandros and Aristobulus IV in front of Octavian at Aquileia. Augustus was succesfull in settling the quarrel. In 10 BCE Herod travelled once more to Rome. In 9 BCE as consequence of the Second War against the Nabataeans, Herod is in disfavour with Augustus. However, by 7 BCE, thanks to the good offices of Nicolaus of Damascus, Herod was once more in favour with the Roman ruler.

Herod proved to be a very effective ruler. He completed ambitious construction projects in Jericho, where he edified three palaces in the Wadi Qelt area between 40 and 15 BCE. At Jerusalem, between 20 and 19 BCE he begun the rebuilding of the Temple, which was inaugurated by Herod and Agrippa in 15 BCE. Herod erected in Jerusalem as well the Antonia Fortress, located in the north western corner of the Temple Mount. In the western part of the city a huge palace, which included three huge towers, named after Mariamme, Phasael and Hyppicos was erected.Samaria was dedicated in 25 BCE as Sebaste in honor of Augustus. In 23 BCE Herod founded the harbor and the city of Caesarea Maritima, dedicated in 10 BCE. New fortresses were erected to defend the kingdom, such as the Herodium and Masada.

The succession to his throne proved to be a very complicated matter. With many wives and children, Herod had many options but was not able to control the intrigues and the competition. In 7 BCE Herod had the two sons of Mariamne, Alexandros and Aristobulus IV, executed, along with their maternal grandmother Alexandra the Hasmonean. In 4 BCE the same fate came to his oldest son, Antipater II. The fame of Herod as a fearful and suspicious child murder, which the Gospel of Matthew has left to the Christian tradition, was not totally undeserved.

At the end, Herod's kingdom was divided into three parts to be given each to one of his surviving children. Herod Archelaus inherited Judaea, Samaria, and Idumaea; Herod Antipas inherited Galilee and Perea; and Herod Philip the Gaulanitis area. Herod's sister Salome I also was given a portion of inheritance, a toparchy including the cities of Yavneh, Ashdod, Phasaelis, plus 5000 drachmae and a royal habitation at Ashkelon.

Herod the Great in ancient sources

Josephus is the major and more detailed source for the life of Herod the Great.

• See Herod the Great (sources) -- survey of ancient sources

Herod the Great in literature & the arts

In Christian iconography Herod was known as the villain in the Massacre of the Innocent but only rarely represented. The "rediscovery" of Josephus at the beginning of the 16th century made him a dramatic character--a powerful, yet ruthless and jealous king. In particular, his relation with Mariamne, her killing and the killing of their children provided a narrative full of strong, contrasting passions that was suitable to be presented in novels and on stage.

• Herod the Great (arts) -- survey of fictional works

Herod the Great in scholarship

• Herod the Great (research) -- survey of scholarly works

References

• Herod the Great / Adam Marshak / In: The Eerdmans Dictionary of Early Judaism (2010 Collins / Harlow), edited volume, 729-735

Related categories

• Herodians / Antipater / Cypros / Phasael / Salome I
• Hasmoneans / Mariamne / Alexandra the Hasmonean

External links

• Wikipedia
• Livius.org