Herod ' onMouseout='HidePop("4167")' href="http://www.absoluteastronomy.com/topics/Koine_Greek">Greek
Koine Greek is the popular form of Greek which emerged in post-Classical antiquity . Other names are Alexandrian, Hellenistic, Patristic, Common, Biblical or New Testament Greek...
: ,
Hērōdēs), also known as
Herod I or
Herod the Great (born 74 BC, died 4 BC in
JerichoJericho is a city located near the Jordan River in the West Bank of the Palestinian Territories. It is the capital of the Jericho Governorate, and has a population of over 20,000 Palestinians. Situated well below sea level on an east-west route north of the Dead Sea, Jericho is the lowest...
, was a
RomanThe Roman Empire was the post-Republican phase of the ancient Roman civilization, characterised by an autocratic form of government and large territorial holdings in Europe and around the Mediterranean. The term is used to describe the Roman state during and after the time of the first emperor,...
client kingClient state is one of several terms used to describe the subordination of one state to a more powerful state in international affairs. It is the least specific of these terms and may be treated as a broad category which includes satellite state, puppet state, neo-colony, protectorate, vassal...
of Israel. He is often confused with his son
Herod AntipasHerod Antipas was a first century AD ruler of Galilee and Perea, who bore the title of tetrarch...
, also of the
Herodian dynastyThe Herodian Dynasty was a Jewish dynasty of Idumean descent, who ruled Iudaea Province between 37 BC - AD 92.- Origin :During the time of the Hasmonean ruler John Hyrcanus 134-104 BCE, Judea conquered Edom and forced the Edomites to convert to Judaism.The Edomites were integrated into the Jewish...
, who was ruler of
GalileeGalilee , is a large region in northern Israel which overlaps with much of the administrative North District of the country...
(4 BC - 39 AD) during the time of
John the BaptistJohn the Baptist was a mission preacher and a major religious figure who led a movement of Baptism at the Jordan River in expectation of a divine apocalypse that would restore occupied Israel...
and Jesus of Nazareth. Herod is known for his colossal building projects in Jerusalem and other parts of the ancient world, including the rebuilding of the
Second TempleThe Second Temple was the reconstructed Temple in Jerusalem which stood between 516 BCE and 70 CE. During this time, it was the center of Jewish worship, which focused on the sacrifices known as the korbanot...
in
JerusalemJerusalem is the capital of Israel and its largest city in both population and area, with a population of 747,600 residents over an area of if disputed East Jerusalem is included...
, sometimes referred to as
Herod's TempleHerod's Temple in Jerusalem was a massive expansion of the Temple Mount platform and major expansion of the Jewish Temple by King Herod the Great around 19 BCE...
. Some details of his biography can be gleaned from the works of the 1st century AD Roman-Jewish historian Josephus Flavius.
Described as "a madman who murdered his own family and a great many rabbis," Herod is reported in the
Gospel of MatthewThe Gospel of Matthew is one of the four canonical gospels in the New Testament. This synoptic gospel is an account of the life and ministry of Jesus of Nazareth...
as ordering the
Massacre of the InnocentsThe Massacre of the Innocents is an episode of mass infanticide by the King of Judea, Herod the Great, that appears in the Gospel of Matthew . The author, traditionally believed to be Matthew the Evangelist, reports that King Herod ordered the execution of all young male children in the village of...
. Most recent biographers do not regard this as an actual historical event.
Biography
Herod was born around 74 BC. He was the second son of
Antipater the IdumaeanAntipater II the Idumaean was the founder of the Herodian Dynasty and father of Herod the Great. Other members of the family with the name Antipater were his father Antipater I, Governor of Idumaea, and grandson Antipater III....
, a high-ranked official under Ethnarch
Hyrcanus IIHyrcanus II, a member of the Hasmonean dynasty, was the Jewish High Priest and King of Judea in the 1st century BCE.-Accession:Hyrcanus was the eldest son of Alexander Jannaeus, King and High Priest, and Alexandra Salome...
, and Cypros, a Nabatean. A loyal supporter of Hyrcanus II, Antipater appointed Herod
governorA governor is a governing official, usually the executive of a non-sovereign level of government, ranking under the head of state...
of
GalileeGalilee , is a large region in northern Israel which overlaps with much of the administrative North District of the country...
at 25, and his elder brother,
PhasaelPhasael was a prince from the Herodian Dynasty of Judea.-Origins and early career:...
, governor of Jerusalem. He enjoyed the backing of Rome but his excessive brutality was condemned by the
SanhedrinThe Sanhedrin was an assembly of twenty-three judges appointed in every city in the Land of Israel.The Talmud states:GEMARA. Whence is this derived? — R...
.
In 43 BC, following the chaos caused by Antipater offering financial support to
Caesar's murderersThe Assassination of Julius Caesar was the result of a conspiracy of a group of senators, led by Gaius Cassius Longinus and Marcus Junius Brutus, who wanted to overthrow Julius Caesar, who in a civil war had risen from military general to political master of the Roman Republic...
, Antipater was poisoned. Herod, backed by the Roman Army, executed his father's murderer.
After the
battle of PhilippiThe Battle of Philippi was the final battle in the Wars of the Second Triumvirate between the forces of Mark Antony and Octavian against the forces of Julius Caesar's assassins Marcus Junius Brutus and Gaius Cassius Longinus in 42 BC, at Philippi in Macedonia...
towards the end of 42 BC, he convinced
Mark AntonyMarcus Antonius , known in English as Mark Antony, was a Roman politician and General. He was an important supporter and the loyal friend of Gaius Julius Caesar as a military commander and administrator, being Caesar's second cousin, once removed, by his mother Julia Antonia...
and Octavian that his father had been forced to help Caesar's murderers. After Antony marched into Asia, Herod was named
tetrarchTetrarch can refer to:* one of the four co-emperors of the Roman Empire under the Tetrarchy.* minor provincial rulers of a territory divided in four parts:...
of Galilee by the Romans. However, since Herod's family had converted to Judaism, his Jewishness had come into question by some elements of Jewish society. When the
MaccabeanThe Maccabees were a Jewish rebel army who liberated Judea from the rule of the Seleucid empire...
John HyrcanusJohn Hyrcanus was a Hasmonean leader of the 2nd century BC...
conquered the region of Idumaea (the
EdomEdom is a name given to Esau in the Hebrew Bible, as well as to the nation descending from him. The nation's name in Assyrian was Udumi; in Syriac, ܐܕܘܡ; in Greek, Ἰδουμαία ; in Latin, Idumæa or Idumea....
of the
Hebrew BibleThe Hebrew Bible is a term referring to the books of the Jewish Bible as originally written mostly in Biblical Hebrew with some Biblical Aramaic...
) in 140–130 BC, he required all Idumaeans to obey Jewish law or to leave; most Idumaeans thus converted to
JudaismJudaism is a set of beliefs and practices originating in the Hebrew Bible , as later further explored and explained in the Talmud and other texts...
, which meant that they had to be
circumcisedMale circumcision, when practiced as a religious rite, is found in the Hebrew Bible, in the Abrahamic covenant, such as , and is therefore practiced by Jews and Muslims and some Christians, those who constitute the Abrahamic religions....
. While King Herod publicly identified himself as a Jew and was considered as such by some, this religious identification was undermined by the decadent lifestyle of the
HerodiansThe Herodians were a sect or party mentioned in the New Testament as having on two occasions — once in Galilee, and again in Jerusalem — manifested an unfriendly disposition towards Jesus ....
, which would have earned them the antipathy of observant Jews.
Two years later
AntigonusAntigonus II Mattathias was the son of King Aristobulus II of Judea. In 40 BC he led, along with Barzapharnes, a Parthian-supported invasion of Judea, seized Jerusalem, and sent his uncle Hyrcanus II to Babylon in chains .In 37 BC, Herod the Great took back Judea...
, Hyrcanus' nephew, took the throne from his uncle with the help of the Parthians. Herod fled to Rome to plead with the Romans to restore him to power. There he was elected "
King of the JewsKing of the Jews may refer to:History:Ruler of historic Jewish kingdoms and client states:* Kingdom of Israel * Kingdom of Judah * Hasmonean dynasty * Herodian Dynasty Others:...
" by the
Roman SenateThe Senate of the Roman Republic was a political institution in the ancient Roman Republic. According to the Greek historian Polybius, our principal source on the Constitution of the Roman Republic, the Roman Senate was the predominant branch of government...
. Josephus puts this in the year of the
consulshipA consul served in the highest elected political office of the Roman Republic and Empire.During the time of ancient Rome as a republic, the consuls were the highest civil and military magistrates, serving as the heads of government for the Republic. An election occurred every year for new consul...
of Calvinus and
PollioGaius Asinius Pollio was a Roman soldier, politician, orator, poet, playwright, literary critic and historian, whose lost contemporary history, provided much of the material for the historians Appian and Plutarch...
(40 BC), but
AppianAppianus , of Alexandria was a Roman historian who flourished during the reigns of Trajan, Hadrian and Antoninus Pius. He is commonly referred to by the anglicised form of his name, Appian....
places it in 39 BC. Herod went back to Israel to win his kingdom from Antigonus and at the same time he married the teenage niece of Antigonus, Mariamne (known as Mariamne I), in an attempt to secure a claim to the throne and gain some Jewish favor. However, Herod already had a wife, Doris, and a three-year-old son,
AntipaterAntipater was Herod the Great's first-born son, his only child by his first wife Doris. He was named after his paternal grandfather Antipater the Idumaean. He and his mother were exiled after Herod divorced her between 43 BC and 40 BC to marry Mariamne I. However, he was recalled following...
, and chose therefore to banish Doris and her child.
Three years later, Herod and the Romans finally captured Jerusalem and executed Antigonus. Herod took the role as sole ruler of Israel and the title of
basileusBasileus , signifies "sovereign" or "king". It is perhaps best known in English as a title used by Byzantine emperors, but also has a longer history of use for persons of authority in ancient Greece, as well as for the kings of modern Greece.-Etymology:The etymology of basileus is unclear...
(Gr. Βασιλευς, king) for himself, ushering in the
Herodian DynastyThe Herodian Dynasty was a Jewish dynasty of Idumean descent, who ruled Iudaea Province between 37 BC - AD 92.- Origin :During the time of the Hasmonean ruler John Hyrcanus 134-104 BCE, Judea conquered Edom and forced the Edomites to convert to Judaism.The Edomites were integrated into the Jewish...
and ending the Hasmonean Dynasty. Josephus reports this as being in the year of the consulship of
AgrippaMarcus Vipsanius Agrippa was a Roman statesman and general. He was a close friend, son-in-law, lieutenant and defense minister to Octavian, the future emperor Caesar Augustus...
and
GallusLucius Caninius Gallus was a Roman politician of the Roman Republic. Gallus was of plebs status and came from a family of consular rank....
(37 BC), but also says that it was exactly 27 years after Jerusalem fell to
PompeyGnaeus Pompeius Magnus, also known as Pompey /'pɑmpi/, Pompey the Great or Pompey the Triumvir , was a military and political leader of the late Roman Republic...
, which would indicate 36 BC. (Cassius Dio also reports that in 37 "the Romans accomplished nothing worthy of note" in the area.) According to Josephus, he ruled for 37 years, 34 years of them after capturing Jerusalem.
Herod later executed several members of his own family, including his wife Mariamme.
A summary of the rest of his life can be found in the Chronology section below.
Architectural achievements
Herod's most famous and ambitious project was the expansion of the
Second TempleThe Second Temple was the reconstructed Temple in Jerusalem which stood between 516 BCE and 70 CE. During this time, it was the center of Jewish worship, which focused on the sacrifices known as the korbanot...
in Jerusalem.
In the eighteenth year of his reign (20–19 BC), Herod rebuilt the Temple on "a more magnificent scale". The new Temple was finished in a year and a half, although work on out-buildings and courts continued another eighty years. To comply with religious law, Herod employed 1,000 priests as masons and carpenters in the rebuilding. The finished temple, which was destroyed in 70 AD, is sometimes referred to as
Herod's TempleHerod's Temple in Jerusalem was a massive expansion of the Temple Mount platform and major expansion of the Jewish Temple by King Herod the Great around 19 BCE...
. The Wailing Wall or Western Wall in Jerusalem is currently the only visible section of the four retaining walls built by Herod, creating a flat platform (the Temple Mount) upon which the Temple was then constructed.
Some of Herod's other achievements include the development of water supplies for Jerusalem, building fortresses such as
MasadaMasada is the name for a site of ancient palaces and fortifications in the South District of Israel on top of an isolated rock plateau, or large mesa, on the eastern edge of the Judean Desert overlooking the Dead Sea...
and
HerodiumHerodium or Herodion is a hill which was artificially extended, volcano-shaped like a truncated cone , south of Jerusalem, located in the West Bank, southeast of Bethlehem and under control of Israel, built as a fortress palace by King Herod the Great...
, and founding new cities such as Caesarea Maritima and the enclosures of
Cave of the PatriarchsThe Cave of the Patriarchs or the Cave of Machpelah is a series of subterranean caves located in a complex called by Muslims the Ibrahimi Mosque or Sanctuary of Abraham...
and
MamreMamre , full Hebrew name Elonei Mamre , refers to a Canaanite cultic shrine dedicated to the supreme, sky god of the Canaanite pantheon, El. Talmudic sources refer to the site as Beth Ilanim or Botnah. it was one of the three most important "fairs", market place or caravanserai, in Palestine...
in
HebronHebron is the largest city in the West Bank, located in the south, 30 kilometers south of Jerusalem. It is home to some 166,000 Palestinians, and over 500 Israelis living in and around the historic Jewish Quarter. Hebron lies 930 meters above sea level...
. He and Cleopatra owned a monopoly over the extraction of asphalt from the Dead Sea, which was used in ship building. He leased
copperCopper is a chemical element with the symbol Cu and atomic number 29.It is a ductile metal with very high thermal and electrical conductivity. Pure copper is rather soft and malleable and a freshly-exposed surface has a pinkish or peachy color...
mines on
CyprusCyprus , officially the Republic of Cyprus , is a Eurasian island country situated in the eastern Mediterranean, south of Turkey and west of Syria and Lebanon....
from the Roman emperor.
Discovery of quarry
On September 25, 2007, Yuval Baruch, archaeologist with the Israeli Antiquities Authority announced their discovery of a
quarryA quarry is a type of open-pit mine from which rock or minerals are extracted. Quarries are generally used for extracting building materials, such as dimension stone, construction aggregate, riprap, sand, and gravel...
compound which provided King Herod with the stones to renovate the
second TempleThe Second Temple was the reconstructed Temple in Jerusalem which stood between 516 BCE and 70 CE. During this time, it was the center of Jewish worship, which focused on the sacrifices known as the korbanot...
. It houses the
Temple MountThe Temple Mount , also known as Mount Moriah and by Muslims as the Noble Sanctuary , is a religious site in the Old City of Jerusalem. Due to its importance for Judaism and Islam it is one of the most contested religious sites in the world.The Temple Mount contains the holiest site in Judaism...
. Coins, pottery and iron stakes found proved the date of the quarrying to be about 19 BC. Archaeologist Ehud Netzer confirmed that the large outlines of the stone cuts is evidence that it was a massive public project worked on by hundreds of slaves.
New Testament references
Herod the Great appears in ancient Christian scriptures, in the Gospel according to Matthew (Ch. 2), which describes an event known as the
Massacre of the InnocentsThe Massacre of the Innocents is an episode of mass infanticide by the King of Judea, Herod the Great, that appears in the Gospel of Matthew . The author, traditionally believed to be Matthew the Evangelist, reports that King Herod ordered the execution of all young male children in the village of...
. No historical
extra-biblical source exists supporting this claim of such a decree by Herod.
According to Matthew, shortly after the birth of
JesusJesus of Nazareth —also known as Jesus Christ or occasionally Jesus the Christ—is the central figure of Christianity. Within most Christian denominations...
,
MagiMagi is a term, used since at least the 4th century BCE, to denote a follower of Zoroaster, or rather, a follower of what the Hellenistic world associated Zoroaster with, which was – in the main – the ability to read the stars, and manipulate...
from the East visited Herod to inquire the whereabouts of "the one having been born king of the Jews", because they had seen his star in the east and therefore wanted to pay him homage. Herod, who was himself King of the Jews, was alarmed at the prospect of the newborn king usurping his rule.
In the story, Herod assembled the chief priests and scribes of the people and asked them where the "Anointed One" (the
MessiahMessiah literally means "anointed "...
, Greek:
ho christos) was to be born. They answered, in
BethlehemBethlehem is a Palestinian city in the central West Bank, approximately south of Jerusalem, with a population of about 30,000 people. It is the capital of the Bethlehem Governorate of the Palestinian National Authority and a hub of Palestinian culture and tourism...
, citing Micah 5:2. Herod therefore sent the Magi to Bethlehem, instructing them to search for the child and, after they had found him, to "report to me, so that I too may go and worship him". However, after they had found Jesus, the Magi were warned in a dream not to report back to Herod. Similarly,
JosephSaint Joseph is known from the New Testament as the husband of Mary, mother of Jesus...
was warned in a dream that Herod intended to kill Jesus, so he and his family fled to Egypt. When Herod realized he had been outwitted by the Magi, he gave orders to kill all boys of the age of two and under in Bethlehem and its vicinity. Joseph and his family stayed in Egypt until Herod's death, then moved to
NazarethNazareth is the capital and largest city in the North District of Israel. Known as "the Arab capital of Israel," the population is made up predominantly of Palestinian Arab citizens of Israel...
in Galilee in order to avoid living under Herod's son Archelaus.
The historical accuracy of this event has been questioned, since although Herod was certainly guilty of many brutal acts, including the killing of his wife and two of his sons, no other source from the period makes any reference to such a massacre. (Luke gives the impression that the Joseph, Mary, and Jesus returned directly to Nazareth shortly after the birth.) Rather, the New Testament account of Herod killing these children may be meant to reflect the story of Moses as a
typeType may refer to:In philosophy:*A type is a category of being*Type-token distinctionIn mathematics:*Type *Type theory, basis for the study of type systems*Type or Arity, the number of operands a function takes...
for Jesus.. Since Bethlehem was a small village, the number of male children under the age of 2, would probably not exceed 20. This may be the reason for the lack of other sources for this history. Although, Herod's order in Matthew 2-16 includes those children in Bethleham's vicinity, making the massacre larger numerically and geographically.
Death
Since the work of
Emil SchürerEmil Schürer was a German Protestant theologian.-Biography:Schürer was born at Augsburg.After studying at Erlangen, Berlin and Heidelberg from 1862 to 1866, he became in 1873 professor extraordinarius at Leipzig and eventually professor ordinarius at Göttingen...
in 1896 scholars have generally concluded that Herod died at the end of March or early April in 4 BC.
Josephus wrote that Herod died 37 years after being named as King by the Romans, and 34 years after the death of Antigonus. This would imply that he died in 4 BC.
Further evidence is provided by the fact that his sons, between whom his kingdom was divided, dated their rule from 4 BC., and Archilaus apparently also exercised royal authority during Herod's lifetime. Josephus states that Philip the Tetrarch's death took place after a 37-year reign, in the 20th year of
TiberiusTiberius Julius Caesar Augustus, born Tiberius Claudius Nero , was the second Roman Emperor, from the death of Augustus in AD 14 until his own death in 37. Tiberius was by birth a Claudian, son of Tiberius Claudius Nero and Livia Drusilla...
(34 AD).
Josephus tells us that Herod died after a
lunar eclipseA lunar eclipse is an eclipse which occurs whenever the moon passes behind the earth such that the earth blocks the sun’s rays from striking the moon. This can occur only when the Sun, Earth, and Moon are aligned exactly, or very closely so, with the Earth in the middle. Hence, there is always a...
. He gives an account of events between this eclipse and his death, and between his death and
PassoverPassover is a Jewish and Samaritan holy day and festival commemorating the Hebrews' escape from enslavement in Egypt....
. A partial eclipse took place on March 13, 4 BC, about 29 days before Passover, and this eclipse is usually taken to be the one referred to by Josephus. There were however three other,
total, eclipses around this time, and there are proponents of both 5 BC with two total eclipses, and 1 BC.
Josephus wrote that Herod's final illness – sometimes named as "Herod's Evil" – was excruciating (
Ant. 17.6.5). From Josephus' descriptions, some medical experts propose that Herod had
chronicChronic may refer to:* Chronic , a persistent and lasting disease or medical condition, or one that has developed slowly* Chronic toxicity,* The Chronic, a 1992 album by Dr. Dre...
kidneyThe kidneys are paired organs, which have the production of urine as their primary function. Kidneys are seen in many types of animals, including vertebrates and some invertebrates. They are part of the urinary system, but have several secondary functions concerned with homeostatic functions. ...
disease complicated by Fournier's gangrene. Modern scholars agree he suffered throughout his lifetime from depression and paranoia. More recently, others report that the visible worms and putrefaction described in his final days are likely to have been
scabiesScabies, also known as the itch, is a contagious ectoparasite skin infection characterized by superficial burrows and intense pruritus . It is caused by the mite Sarcoptes scabiei. The word scabies itself is derived from the Latin word for "scratch"...
. This can explain his death, but can also account for his psychiatric symptoms. Similar symptoms attended the death of his grandson Herod Agrippa in AD 44.
Josephus also stated that Herod was so concerned that no one would mourn his death, that he commanded a large group of distinguished men to come to Jericho, and he gave order that they should be killed at the time of his death so that the displays of grief that he craved would take place. Fortunately for them, Herod's son Archilaus and sister
SalomeSalome I was the sister of Herod the Great and the mother of Berenice by her husband Costobarus, governor of Idumea.Berenice's children were Herodias, Herod Agrippa I, king of Judea, Herod of Chalcis and Aristobulus V, and Mariamne III .- External links :* entry in historical sourcebook by Mahlon H...
did not carry out this wish.
After Herod's death, his kingdom was divided among three of his sons.
ArchilausHerod Archelaus was the ethnarch of Samaria, Judea, and Edom from 4 BC to 6 AD. He was the son of Herod the Great and Malthace, the brother of Herod Antipas, and the half-brother of Herod Philip I....
became king of Judaea,
Herod AntipasHerod Antipas was a first century AD ruler of Galilee and Perea, who bore the title of tetrarch...
became
tetrarchTetrarch can refer to:* one of the four co-emperors of the Roman Empire under the Tetrarchy.* minor provincial rulers of a territory divided in four parts:...
of
GalileeGalilee , is a large region in northern Israel which overlaps with much of the administrative North District of the country...
and Peraea, and
PhilipHerod Philip II, or Philip the Tetrarch, was son of Herod the Great and his fifth wife Cleopatra of Jerusalem and half-brother of Herod Antipas and Herod Archelausand Herod Philip I....
became tetrarch of territories east of the Jordan.
Tomb discovery
The location of Herod's tomb is documented by Roman historian Flavius Josephus, who writes, "And the body was carried two hundred furlongs, to Herodium, where he had given order to be buried."
Flavius Josephus provides more clues about Herod's tomb which he calls Herod's monuments:
So they threw down all the hedges and walls which the inhabitants had made about their gardens and groves of trees, and cut down all the fruit trees that lay between them and the wall of the city, and filled up all the hollow places and the chasms, and demolished the rocky precipices with iron instruments; and thereby made all the place level from Scopus to Herod's monuments, which adjoined to the pool called the Serpent's Pool.
Professor
Ehud NetzerEhud Netzer is an Israeli archaeologist and Professor emeritus at the Institute of Archaeology at the Hebrew University in Jerusalem. The subjects he teaches combine architecture and archaeology...
, an archaeologist from Hebrew University, read the writings of Josephus and focused his search on the vicinity of the pool and its surroundings at the Winter Palace of Herod in the Judean desert. An article of the New York Times states,
Lower HerodiumHerodium or Herodion is a hill which was artificially extended, volcano-shaped like a truncated cone , south of Jerusalem, located in the West Bank, southeast of Bethlehem and under control of Israel, built as a fortress palace by King Herod the Great...
consists of the remains of a large palace, a race track, service quarters, and a monumental building whose function is still a mystery. Perhaps, says Ehud Netzer, who excavated the site, it is Herod's mausoleum. Next to it is a pool, almost twice as large as modern Olympic-size pools.
It took 35 years for Netzer to identify the exact location, but on May 7, 2007, an
IsraelIsrael officially the State of Israel , is a developed state in Western Asia located on the eastern shore of the Mediterranean Sea. It borders Lebanon in the north, Syria in the northeast, Jordan in the east, and Egypt on the southwest, and contains geographically diverse features within its...
i team of archaeologists of the Hebrew University led by Netzer, announced they had discovered the tomb. The site is located at the exact location given by Flavius Josephus, atop of tunnels and water pools, at a flattened desert site, halfway up the hill to
HerodiumHerodium or Herodion is a hill which was artificially extended, volcano-shaped like a truncated cone , south of Jerusalem, located in the West Bank, southeast of Bethlehem and under control of Israel, built as a fortress palace by King Herod the Great...
, 12 kilometers (7.5 mi) south of Jerusalem. The tomb contained a broken sarcophagus but no remains of a body.
30s BC
- 39–37 BC War against Antigonus
Antigonus II Mattathias was the son of King Aristobulus II of Judea. In 40 BC he led, along with Barzapharnes, a Parthian-supported invasion of Judea, seized Jerusalem, and sent his uncle Hyrcanus II to Babylon in chains .In 37 BC, Herod the Great took back Judea...
. After the conquest of JerusalemJerusalem is the capital of Israel and its largest city in both population and area, with a population of 747,600 residents over an area of if disputed East Jerusalem is included...
and victory over AntigonusAntigonus II Mattathias was the son of King Aristobulus II of Judea. In 40 BC he led, along with Barzapharnes, a Parthian-supported invasion of Judea, seized Jerusalem, and sent his uncle Hyrcanus II to Babylon in chains .In 37 BC, Herod the Great took back Judea...
, Mark AntonyMarcus Antonius , known in English as Mark Antony, was a Roman politician and General. He was an important supporter and the loyal friend of Gaius Julius Caesar as a military commander and administrator, being Caesar's second cousin, once removed, by his mother Julia Antonia...
executes AntigonusAntigonus II Mattathias was the son of King Aristobulus II of Judea. In 40 BC he led, along with Barzapharnes, a Parthian-supported invasion of Judea, seized Jerusalem, and sent his uncle Hyrcanus II to Babylon in chains .In 37 BC, Herod the Great took back Judea...
.
- 36 BC Herod makes his 17-year-old brother-in-law, Aristobulus III of Judea
Aristobulus III of Judea was the last scion of the Hasmonean royal house, brother of Herod the Great's wife Mariamne, and paternal grandson of Aristobulus II...
, high priest, fearing that the Jews would appoint Aristobulus III of JudeaAristobulus III of Judea was the last scion of the Hasmonean royal house, brother of Herod the Great's wife Mariamne, and paternal grandson of Aristobulus II...
"King of the Jews" in his place.
- 35 BC Aristobulus III of Judea is drowned at a party, on Herod's orders.
- 32 BC The war against Nabatea begins, with victory one year later.
- 31 BC Judea suffers a devastating earthquake
An earthquake is the result of a sudden release of energy in the Earth's crust that creates seismic waves. Earthquakes are recorded with a seismometer, also known as a seismograph...
. OctavianGaius Julius Caesar Augustus was the first emperor of the Roman Empire, which he ruled alone from 27 BC until his death in AD 14.
[These are the contemporary dates; Augustus lived under two calendars, the Roman Republican until 45 BC, and the Julian after 45 BC...]
defeats Mark AntonyMarcus Antonius , known in English as Mark Antony, was a Roman politician and General. He was an important supporter and the loyal friend of Gaius Julius Caesar as a military commander and administrator, being Caesar's second cousin, once removed, by his mother Julia Antonia...
, so Herod switches allegiance to Octavian, later known as Augustus.
- 30 BC Herod is shown great favour by Octavian, who at Rhodes
Rhodes is a Greek island approximately southwest of Turkey in eastern Aegean Sea...
confirms him as King of Judaea.
20s BC
- 29 BC Josephus
Josephus , also known as Yosef Ben Matityahu and, after he became a Roman citizen, as Titus Flavius Josephus, was a first-century Jewish historian and apologist of priestly and royal ancestry who survived and recorded the destruction of Jerusalem in AD 70...
writes that Herod had great passion and also great jealousy concerning his wife, Mariamne I. She learns of Herod's plans to murder her, and stops sleeping with him. Herod puts her on trial on a charge of adulteryAdultery is referred to as extramarital sex, philandery, or infidelity, but does not include fornication. The term "adultery" for many people carries a moral or religious association, while the term "extramarital sex" is morally or judgmentally neutral....
. His sister, Salome ISalome I was the sister of Herod the Great and the mother of Berenice by her husband Costobarus, governor of Idumea.Berenice's children were Herodias, Herod Agrippa I, king of Judea, Herod of Chalcis and Aristobulus V, and Mariamne III .- External links :* entry in historical sourcebook by Mahlon H...
, was chief witness against her. Mariamne I's mother Alexandra made an appearance and incriminated her own daughter. Historians say her mother was next on Herod's list to be executed and did this only to save her own life. Mariamne was executed, and Alexandra declared herself Queen, stating that Herod was mentally unfit to serve. Josephus wrote that this was Alexandra's strategic mistake; Herod executed her without trial.
- 28 BC Herod executed his brother-in-law Kostobar (husband of Salome, father to Berenice
Berenice was the daughter of Salome I, sister of Herod the Great. She married her cousin Aristobulus, who was executed by his father in 6 BC; she was accused of complicity in his murder...
) for conspiracy. Large festival in Jerusalem, as Herod had built a TheatreTheatre is a branch of the performing arts. While any performance may be considered theatre, as a performing art, it focuses almost exclusively on live performers creating a self contained drama. A performance qualifies as dramatic by creating a representational illusion...
and an AmphitheatreAn amphitheatre is an open-air venue for spectator sports, concerts, rallies, or theatrical performances. There are two similar, but distinct, types of structure for which the word 'amphitheatre' is used: Ancient amphitheatres, built by the ancient Romans, were large central performance spaces...
.
- 27 BC An assassination attempt on Herod was foiled. To honor Augustus, Herod rebuilt Samaria
Samaria, or the Shomron is a term used for a mountainous region roughly corresponding to the northern part of the West Bank.- Etymology :...
and renamed it Sebaste.
- 25 BC Herod imported grain from Egypt
Egypt , officially the Arab Republic of Egypt, is a country mainly in North Africa, with the Sinai Peninsula forming a land bridge in Western Asia...
and started an aid program to combat the widespread hunger and disease that followed a massive droughtA drought is an extended period of months or years when a region notes a deficiency in its water supply. Generally, this occurs when a region receives consistently below average precipitation. It can have a substantial impact on the ecosystem and agriculture of the affected region...
. He also waives a third of the taxes.
- 23 BC Herod built a palace in Jerusalem and the fortress Herodion (Herodium) in Judea. He married his third wife, Mariamne II
Mariamne II was the third wife of Herod the Great. She was the daughter of Simon Boethus the High Priest. Josephus recounts their wedding thus:...
, the daughter of high priest Simon.
- 22 BC Herod began construction on Caesarea Maritima and its harbor. The Roman emperor Augustus grants him the regions Trachonitis, Batanaea and Auranitis to the north-east of Judea.
- Circa 20 BC Expansion started on the Second Temple
The Second Temple was the reconstructed Temple in Jerusalem which stood between 516 BCE and 70 CE. During this time, it was the center of Jewish worship, which focused on the sacrifices known as the korbanot...
. (See Herod's TempleHerod's Temple in Jerusalem was a massive expansion of the Temple Mount platform and major expansion of the Jewish Temple by King Herod the Great around 19 BCE...
)
10s BC
- Circa 18 BC Herod traveled for the second time to Rome.
- 14 BC Herod supported the Jews in Anatolia
Anatolia is a geographic region of Western Asia, comprising most of the modern Republic of Turkey. The region is bounded by the Black Sea to the north, the Caucasus to the northeast, the Iranian plateau to the southeast, the Mediterranean Sea to the south and the Aegean Sea to the west...
and CyreneCyrene was an ancient Greek colony in present-day Shahhat; Libya, the oldest and most important of the five Greek cities in the region. It gave eastern Libya the classical name Cyrenaica that it has retained to modern times.Cyrene lies in a lush valley in the Jebel Akhdar uplands...
. Owing to the prosperity in Judaea he waived a quarter of the taxes.
- 13 BC Herod made his first-born son Antipater (his son by Doris) first heir in his will
A will or testament is a legal declaration by which a person, the testator, names one or more persons to manage his estate and provides for the transfer of his property at death. For the devolution of property not disposed of by will, see inheritance and intestacy...
.
- 12 BC Herod suspected both his sons (from his marriage to Mariamne I) Alexander and Aristobulus of threatening his life. He took them to Aquileia
Aquileia is an ancient Roman city in what is now Italy, at the head of the Adriatic at the edge of the lagoons, about 10 km from the sea, on the river Natiso , the course of which has changed somewhat since Roman times.-History:Aquileia was founded as a colony by the Romans in 180/181 BC...
to be tried. Augustus reconciled the three. Herod supported the financially strapped Olympic GamesThe Olympic Games are a major international event of summer and winter sports, in which thousands of athletes compete in a wide variety of events. The Games are currently held every two years, with Summer and Winter Olympic Games alternating. Originally, the ancient Olympic Games were held in...
and ensured their future. Herod amended his will so that Alexander and Aristobulus rose in the royal succession, but Antipater would be higher in the succession.
- Circa 10 BC The newly expanded temple in Jerusalem was inaugurated. War against the Nabateans began.
0s BC
- 9 BC Caesarea Maritima was inaugurated. Owing to the course of the war against the Nabateans, Herod fell into disgrace with Augustus. Herod again suspected Alexander of plotting to kill him.
- 8 BC Herod accused his sons by Mariamne I of high treason
In law, treason is the crime that covers some of the more serious acts of disloyalty to one's sovereign or nation. Historically, treason also covered the murder of specific social superiors, such as the murder of a husband by his wife...
. Herod reconciled with Augustus, who also gave him the permission to proceed legally against his sons.
- 7 BC The court hearing took place in Berytos (Beirut
Beirut is the capital and largest city of Lebanon with a population of over 2.1 million as of 2007. Located on a peninsula at the midpoint of Lebanon's coastline with the Mediterranean sea, it serves as the country's largest and main seaport and also forms the Beirut Metropolitan Area, which...
) before a Roman court. Mariamne I's sons were found guilty and executed. The succession changed so that Antipater was the exclusive successor to the throne. In second place the succession incorporated (Herod) Philip, his son by Mariamne II.
- 6 BC Herod proceeded against the Pharisees.
- 5 BC Antipater was brought before the court charged with the intended murder of Herod. Herod, by now seriously ill, named his son (Herod) Antipas (from his fourth marriage with Malthace
Malthace was a Samaritan woman who lived in the latter half of the first century BCE. She was one of the wives of Herod the Great and the mother by Herod of Herod Antipas, Archelaus and a daughter Olympias....
) as his successor.
- 4 BC Young disciples smashed the golden eagle over the main entrance of the Temple of Jerusalem after the Pharisee teachers claimed it was an idolatrous Roman symbol. Herod arrested them, brought them to court, and sentenced them. Augustus approved the death penalty for Antipater. Herod then executed his son, and again changed his will: Archelaus
Herod Archelaus was the ethnarch of Samaria, Judea, and Edom from 4 BC to 6 AD. He was the son of Herod the Great and Malthace, the brother of Herod Antipas, and the half-brother of Herod Philip I....
(from the marriage with Malthace) would rule as king over Herod's entire kingdom, while AntipasHerod Antipas was a first century AD ruler of Galilee and Perea, who bore the title of tetrarch...
(by Malthace) and Philip (from the fifth marriage with Cleopatra of Jerusalem) would rule as TetrarchTetrarch can refer to:* one of the four co-emperors of the Roman Empire under the Tetrarchy.* minor provincial rulers of a territory divided in four parts:...
s over Galilee and PeraeaPerea , a portion of the kingdom of Herod the Great occupying the eastern side of the Jordan River valley, from about one third the way down from the Sea of Galilee to about one third the way down the eastern shore of the Dead Sea; it did not extend too far inland...
(Transjordan), also over Gaulanitis (GolanGolan or Gaulonitis is an ancient city in the Land of Israel. It was in the territory of Manasseh in the area of Bashan, and it was the most northerly of the three cities of refuge east of the Jordan River . Manasseh gave this city to the Gershonite Levites...
), TrachonitisTrachonitis was a region that once formed part of Herod Philip's tetrarchy. It now lies within the boundaries of modern Syria.It appears in the Bible only in the phrase tes Itouraias kai Trachbnitidos choras, literally, "of the Iturean and Trachonian region"...
(Hebrew: Argob), Batanaea (now Ard-el-Bathanyeh) and Panias. As Augustus did not confirm his will, no one got the title of King; however, the three sons did get the stated territories.
Marriages and children
Herod's marriages and children
| Wife |
Children |
| Doris - Geography :* Doris , region in central Greece in which the Dorians had their traditional homeland* Doris , region of Asia Minor inhabited by Dorians* Doris, Iowa, USA- People :...
|
- Son Antipater III
Antipater was Herod the Great's first-born son, his only child by his first wife Doris. He was named after his paternal grandfather Antipater the Idumaean. He and his mother were exiled after Herod divorced her between 43 BC and 40 BC to marry Mariamne I. However, he was recalled following...
, executed 4 BC |
| Mariamne I Mariamne I, also called Mariamne the Hasmonean was the second wife of Herod the Great. She was known for her great beauty, as was her brother Aristobulus. Her husband loved her because of her beauty alone and not for what was in her heart and soul...
, daughter of Hasmonean Alexandros |
Son Alexander, executed 7 BC
Son Aristobulus IV Aristobulus IV was a prince of Judea from the Herodian dynasty, and was married to his cousin, Berenice, daughter of Costobar and Salome...
, executed 7 BC
Daughter SalampsioSalampsio was the eldest daughter of Herod the Great by his royal Hasmonean wife, Mariamne I. She was married to Phasael ben Phasael, Herod's nephew . The marriage resulted in five children--Antipater, Herod, Alexander, Alexandra, and Cypros. Cypros married Agrippa I, the son of Aristobulus and...
Daughter Cypros |
| Mariamne II Mariamne II was the third wife of Herod the Great. She was the daughter of Simon Boethus the High Priest. Josephus recounts their wedding thus:...
, daughter of High-PriestKohen Gadol or Kohen ha-Gadol is the title of High Priest of early Israelite religion and of classical Judaism from the rise of the Israelite nation until the destruction of the Second Temple of Jerusalem...
SimonThe Boethusians were a Jewish sect closely related to, if not a development of, the Sadducees.-Origins according to the Talmud:The Talmud gives the following origin of the schism between Sadducees and Boethusians: Antigonus of Sokho having taught the maxim, "Be not like the servants who serve their...
|
Son Herod II Boethus |
| Malthace Malthace was a Samaritan woman who lived in the latter half of the first century BCE. She was one of the wives of Herod the Great and the mother by Herod of Herod Antipas, Archelaus and a daughter Olympias....
|
Son Herod Archelaus Herod Archelaus was the ethnarch of Samaria, Judea, and Edom from 4 BC to 6 AD. He was the son of Herod the Great and Malthace, the brother of Herod Antipas, and the half-brother of Herod Philip I....
- Ethnarch
Son Herod AntipasHerod Antipas was a first century AD ruler of Galilee and Perea, who bore the title of tetrarch...
- Tetrarch
Daughter Olympias |
| Cleopatra of Jerusalem Cleopatra of Jerusalem was a woman who lived in the 1st century BC during the Roman Empire. She is remembered as one of the wives of King of Judea Herod the Great....
|
Son Herod Philip IIHerod Philip II, or Philip the Tetrarch, was son of Herod the Great and his fifth wife Cleopatra of Jerusalem and half-brother of Herod Antipas and Herod Archelausand Herod Philip I....
- Tetrarch
Son Herod |
| Pallas |
Son Phasael |
| Phaidra |
Daughter Roxane |
| Elpis |
Daughter Salome bat Herod I |
| A cousin (name unknown) |
no known children |
| A niece (name unknown) |
no known children |
It is very probable that Herod had more children, especially with the last wives, and also that he had more daughters, as female births at that time were often not recorded.
Marriages and descendants
See also
Herod's Family Tree
Herod the Great + Doris- Geography :* Doris , region in central Greece in which the Dorians had their traditional homeland* Doris , region of Asia Minor inhabited by Dorians* Doris, Iowa, USA- People :...
|
AntipaterAntipater was Herod the Great's first-born son, his only child by his first wife Doris. He was named after his paternal grandfather Antipater the Idumaean. He and his mother were exiled after Herod divorced her between 43 BC and 40 BC to marry Mariamne I. However, he was recalled following...
d. 4 BC?
Herod the Great + Mariamne IMariamne I, also called Mariamne the Hasmonean was the second wife of Herod the Great. She was known for her great beauty, as was her brother Aristobulus. Her husband loved her because of her beauty alone and not for what was in her heart and soul...
, d. 29 BC?, dt. of Alexandros.
|
—————————————————————————————————————————————
| | | |
AristobulusAristobulus IV was a prince of Judea from the Herodian dynasty, and was married to his cousin, Berenice, daughter of Costobar and Salome...
Alexander SalampsioSalampsio was the eldest daughter of Herod the Great by his royal Hasmonean wife, Mariamne I. She was married to Phasael ben Phasael, Herod's nephew . The marriage resulted in five children--Antipater, Herod, Alexander, Alexandra, and Cypros. Cypros married Agrippa I, the son of Aristobulus and...
+ Phasael Cypros
d. 7 BC? d. 7 BC? | m. Antipater(2)
m. BereniceBerenice was the daughter of Salome I, sister of Herod the Great. She married her cousin Aristobulus, who was executed by his father in 6 BC; she was accused of complicity in his murder...
Cypros
|
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| | | | |
Mariamne IIIMariamne III was a daughter of Aristobulus IV and Berenice. She had three brothers, Herod III, king of Chalkis, Herod Agrippa, king of Judea and Aristobulus V, and one sister, Herodias....
Herod IIIHerod of Chalcis , was a son of Aristobulus IV, and the grandson of Herod the Great, Roman client king of Judaea. He was the brother of Herod Agrippa I and Herodias.He was vested the rulership of Chalkis, a kingdom north of Judaea, as tetrarch...
HerodiasHerodias was a Jewish princess of the Herodian Dynasty.-Relationships:*Daughter of Aristobulus IV...
Herod AgrippaAgrippa I also called the Great , King of the Jews, was the grandson of Herod the Great, and son of Aristobulus IV and Berenice. His original name was Marcus Julius Agrippa, and he is the king named Herod in the Acts of the Apostles, in the Bible, "Herod "...
Aristobulus V
m. her uncle King of ChalcisChalcis or Chalkida, Halkida, Halkis or Chalkis , the chief town of the island of Euboea in Greece, is situated on the strait of the Evripos at its narrowest point...
+ King of JudeaJudea or Judæa is the name given to the mountainous southern part of the historic Land of Israel , an area now divided between Israel and the West Bank Judea or Judæa (Hebrew: יהודה,
Standard Yəhuda
Tiberian , "praised, celebrated"; Greek: Ιουδαία, Ioudaía; ) is the...
ArchelausHerod Archelaus was the ethnarch of Samaria, Judea, and Edom from 4 BC to 6 AD. He was the son of Herod the Great and Malthace, the brother of Herod Antipas, and the half-brother of Herod Philip I....
? m. 1. Herod II Boethus
her uncle
2. Herod AntipasHerod Antipas was a first century AD ruler of Galilee and Perea, who bore the title of tetrarch...
her uncle
Herod the Great + Mariamne IIMariamne II was the third wife of Herod the Great. She was the daughter of Simon Boethus the High Priest. Josephus recounts their wedding thus:...
, dt. of Simon the High-PriestKohen Gadol or Kohen ha-Gadol is the title of High Priest of early Israelite religion and of classical Judaism from the rise of the Israelite nation until the destruction of the Second Temple of Jerusalem...
.
|
Herod II
Boethus
Herod the Great + MalthaceMalthace was a Samaritan woman who lived in the latter half of the first century BCE. She was one of the wives of Herod the Great and the mother by Herod of Herod Antipas, Archelaus and a daughter Olympias....
(a SamaritanThe Samaritans are an ethnoreligious group of the Levant. Religiously, they are the adherents to Samaritanism, a parallel but separate religion to Judaism or any of its historical forms...
)
|
————————————————————————————————————————————————
| | |
Herod AntipasHerod Antipas was a first century AD ruler of Galilee and Perea, who bore the title of tetrarch...
ArchelausHerod Archelaus was the ethnarch of Samaria, Judea, and Edom from 4 BC to 6 AD. He was the son of Herod the Great and Malthace, the brother of Herod Antipas, and the half-brother of Herod Philip I....
Olympias
b. 20 BC?
+ Phasaelis,
dt. of Aretas IVAretas IV Philopatris was the King of the Nabataeans from roughly 9 BC to AD 40.His full title, as given in the inscriptions, was "Aretas, King of the Nabataeans, Friend of his People." Being the most powerful neighbour of Judea, he frequently took part in the state affairs of that country, and was...
, king of Arabia
"divorced" to marry:
+ HerodiasHerodias was a Jewish princess of the Herodian Dynasty.-Relationships:*Daughter of Aristobulus IV...
,
dt. of AristobulusAristobulus IV was a prince of Judea from the Herodian dynasty, and was married to his cousin, Berenice, daughter of Costobar and Salome...
(son of Herod the Great)
Herod the Great + Cleopatra of JerusalemCleopatra of Jerusalem was a woman who lived in the 1st century BC during the Roman Empire. She is remembered as one of the wives of King of Judea Herod the Great....
|
Philip the TetrarchHerod Philip II, or Philip the Tetrarch, was son of Herod the Great and his fifth wife Cleopatra of Jerusalem and half-brother of Herod Antipas and Herod Archelausand Herod Philip I....
d. 34 AD
Notes.
- Antipater(2) was the son of Joseph and Salome
- Dates with ? need verifying against modern findings
Ancestors
Antipater the IdumaeanAntipater II the Idumaean was the founder of the Herodian Dynasty and father of Herod the Great. Other members of the family with the name Antipater were his father Antipater I, Governor of Idumaea, and grandson Antipater III....
+ Cypros, Princess from Petra, Jordan in Nabatea.
|
—————————————————————————————————————————————
| | | | |
PhasaelPhasael was a prince from the Herodian Dynasty of Judea.-Origins and early career:...
Herod the Great Joseph Pheroras Salome ISalome I was the sister of Herod the Great and the mother of Berenice by her husband Costobarus, governor of Idumea.Berenice's children were Herodias, Herod Agrippa I, king of Judea, Herod of Chalcis and Aristobulus V, and Mariamne III .- External links :* entry in historical sourcebook by Mahlon H...
(74-4 BC)
Legend
| Sign & Meaning |
| + = married |
| > = descended from |
| ../——— = sibling |
| dt. = daughter |
| b. = born |
| d. = died |
| m. = was married to |
| ? = not included here or unknown |
Alexandros + Alexandra
|
———————————————————————————————————
| |
Aristobulus III of JudeaAristobulus III of Judea was the last scion of the Hasmonean royal house, brother of Herod the Great's wife Mariamne, and paternal grandson of Aristobulus II...
MariamneMariamne I, also called Mariamne the Hasmonean was the second wife of Herod the Great. She was known for her great beauty, as was her brother Aristobulus. Her husband loved her because of her beauty alone and not for what was in her heart and soul...
, dt.
(d. 35 BC) m. Herod the Great
(last HasmoneanThe Hasmoneans were the ruling dynasty of the Hasmonean Kingdom of Israel , an independent Jewish state. The Hasmonean dynasty was established under the leadership of Simon Maccabaeus, two decades after his brother Judah the Maccabee defeated the Seleucid army during the Maccabean Revolt in 165 BC...
scion;
appointed high priest; drowned)
Further reading
- Duane W. Roller, The Building Program of Herod the Great(Berkeley, 1998).
- Robert Gree, Herod the Great
- Michael Grant
Michael Grant CBE was an English classicist and numismatist. According to his obituary in The Times he was "one of the few classical historians to win respect from [both] academics and a lay readership"...
, Herod the Great
- Adam Kolman Marshak, "The Dated Coins of Herod the Great: Towards a New Chronology." Journal for the Study of Judaism 37.2 (2006) 212-240.
External links
- Resources > Second Temple and Talmudic Era > Herod and the Herodian Dynasty The Jewish History Resource Center - Project of the Dinur Center for Research in Jewish History, The Hebrew University of Jerusalem
The Hebrew University of Jerusalem is Israel's oldest university....
- Tomb Found
- Halachic Status of Herod
- Herod's Tomb -images
- Magen Broshi, A King on the Shrink's Couch, review of "King Herod: A Persecuted Persecutor
- Family trees
- extract Britanicca Vol 5 page 879
- Encyclopedia.com
- Outline of Great Books Volume I - King Herod: extracts from the works of Josephus
Josephus , also known as Yosef Ben Matityahu and, after he became a Roman citizen, as Titus Flavius Josephus, was a first-century Jewish historian and apologist of priestly and royal ancestry who survived and recorded the destruction of Jerusalem in AD 70...
- Timeline 49 to 1 BC
- Herod surnamed the Great in the 1911 Encyclopædia Britannica
The Encyclopædia Britannica is a general English-language encyclopaedia published by Encyclopædia Britannica, Inc., a privately held company. The articles in the Britannica are aimed at educated adult readers, and written by a staff of about 100 full-time editors and more than...
- Jewish Encyclopedia: Herod I
- Catholic Encyclopedia: Herod
- The Horrors of Herod
- King Herod the Great
- King Herod's Tomb Found Biblical Archaeology Review
- The Works of Flavius Josephus
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