The Idumean king who ruled Judea from 40-4 BC. More than any one else Herod the Great was responsible for bringing Judea from the backwaters of the growing Roman Empire and transforming it into one of the richest and well-known nations in the Roman world. Among Christians, of courst, he is also notorious for being the "massacre of the infants."
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Herod was born in 73 BCE, during the heyday of the Hasmonean Period, to a Nabatean mother named Cypros and an Idumean father named Antipater, from a distinguished family. Like many members of the Idumean elite, the family had converted to Judaism and become part of the Hasmonean administration. Herod, who along with his brothers followed their father into a public career, quickly developed an appetite for power and demonstrated an impressive aptitude for politics. The rulers of Rome appreciated his talents and in 40 BCE, the Roman senate appointed him king of Judea. In order to secure his position in the eyes of his countrymen, Herod married Mariamme the Hasmonean, granddaughter of King Hyrcanus II.
Though he had to fight hard to make good his reign, the peace and prosperity that the eventually mastered made it possible for him to devote his tremendous energies and resources to construction, thereby changing the face of the land. Historical sources and even rabbinic literature praise Herod as "the greatest builder the land has ever known." But they also present the darker sides of his personality. Herod was known for his cruelty, jealousy, and suspicion, which culminated in the execution of his beloved wife Mariamme the Hasmonean and three eldest sons.
In 4 BCE, at the age of 69, the ailing king passed away at Jericho. His body was borne in an elaborate funerary procession to Herodion, where it was buried.
Herod's burial site at Herodion, which was desecrated soon after his internment.
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