Pod Insights The Ancients Rise of King Herod About this episode He’s the villain of the Nativity. An alleged killer of innocents, remembered as one of history’s great monsters. But the truth about Herod the Great is far more dramatic, far more complex, and far more shocking.
On today's special episode of The Ancients, Tristan Hughes asks: who was the real Herod behind the legend and the infamy? Joined by Professor Benedict Eckhardt, Dr Kimberly Tchaikovsky and Professor Helen Bond, he charts the gripping rise of one of antiquity’s most formidable and misunderstood rulers. From perilous beginnings to becoming Rome’s chosen King of Judea, Herod’s story blends Greek-style tragedy with ruthless Roman politics and features encounters with towering figures like Julius Caesar, Cleopatra and Mark Antony. Join us to step into the turbulent world of Roman Judea and discover how Herod defied the odds to seize his throne.
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The Wise Men:
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The Great Jewish Revolt:
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Presented by Tristan Hughes. Audio editor is Aidan Lonergan. The producer is Joseph Knight. The senior producer is Anne-Marie Luff.
All music courtesy of Epidemic Sounds
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0:00 Tristan Hughes? Ever wondered why the Romans were defeated in the Teutoburg Forest? What secrets lie buried in prehistoric Ireland? Or what made Alexander truly great? With a subscription to History Hit, you can explore our ancient past alongside the world's leading historians and archaeologists. You'll also unlock hundreds of hours of original documentaries with a brand new release every single week, covering everything from the ancient world to World War II. Just visit historyhit.com/subscribe.
0:34 Speaker 01 I'm Connor Tomlinson from Love on the Spectrum. History is my thing, and I've been waiting my whole life for a show like this one.
0:41 Speaker 02 And I'm Carter Roy, and this is What the Fact? Three facts a week, each with the whole story behind it. The history class you actually wished you had in school. New episodes every Wednesday. Follow What the Fact wherever you listen, or subscribe on YouTube at What the Fact Pod.
1:01 Tristan Hughes? Hello and welcome to a very special episode of The Ancients, one that has been in the works for quite some time, and I'm now really excited to share with you. We are covering the rise of one of ancient history's most infamous figures, King Herod, the villain of the nativity story, and yet, at the same time, at least in my opinion, one of the most extraordinary rulers from antiquity. We are going to be taking you from Herod's beginnings to how he ultimately became King of Judea. It is an action-packed story full of twists and turns, and we've moulded it into an epic narrative, featuring three great experts from the University of Edinburgh:
1:44 Tristan Hughes? Professor Benedict Eckhart, Dr Kimberley Tchaikovsky, and Professor Helen Bond. Now, this originally came out as a History Hit documentary, which you can go and watch on History Hit, but because it is such a great story, I also really wanted to turn it into a special Ancients episode too, just for you. I really do hope you enjoy. Let's go.
2:21 Speaker 03 I think most people remember Herod today, or know Herod today, as essentially the baby killer. Thinking about the New Testament tradition and the massacre of the innocents, it remains the one go-to idea that people have if they hear the name Herod. Whether it should or not is another question.
2:38 Tristan Hughes? Herod, one of the most recognisable, yet notorious names from history. His legacy entwined with a biblical slaughter.
2:48 Speaker 03 All the great things he did, the stability that he gave to the country, the great building works, putting his nation on the world stage, all of those good things that he did are completely overshadowed now by this story that he killed all the boys.
3:05 Tristan Hughes? So who was the real Herod? The powerful ancient ruler who crossed paths with great names such as Julius Caesar, Cleopatra and Mark Antony? And how did he defy all odds to become king?
3:19 Speaker 03 Herod's rise is absolutely extraordinary. It's eventful, it has everything, it has battles, it has family deaths, it has murders.
3:26 Speaker 04 When things didn't go his way, his immediate response was very often to kill.
3:31 Speaker 03 It's like a Greek tragedy or a Shakespearean play. It's got everything in it, really. This is really a Roman installation. This is Rome deciding and declaring that Herod will be king.
3:44 Tristan Hughes? This is the rise of Herod.
3:58 Tristan Hughes? Herod was born in 72 B.C. into a Judean kingdom that was struggling to assert its authority, surrounded by superpowers.
4:08 Speaker 04 Herod is born into the late Hellenistic world. The great empires that have been founded after the conquest of Alexander the Great are still around, the Ptolemies to the south and the Seleucids to the north of Judea, but they are recognisably smaller than they have been once.
4:26 Tristan Hughes? That's Dr Benedict Eckhart, professor of the history of the ancient Mediterranean world at Edinburgh University, and an expert on ancient Judea at the time of Herod.
4:39 Speaker 04 The Seleucids only really controlled Syria anymore. They have lost the west to the Parthians. And the Ptolemies controlled Egypt, but nothing much beyond that. And the main power that really caused the shots in this period is Rome. So the clouds from the west, as they are called in Ptolemais.
4:59 Tristan Hughes? Judea itself was ruled by the Hasmonean dynasty. And at the time of Herod's birth, the figurehead of that dynasty was Queen Salome Alexandra.
5:10 Speaker 04 The Hasmoneans had taken power some four generations earlier as the result of a Judean resistance movement against the Seleucid kingdom. The Seleucids had tried to introduce a Greek cult in Jerusalem. They had banned circumcision, they had banned other aspects of Jewish law. It was the Hasmoneans, in the form of Judas Mag applyus and his brothers, who had resisted that and successfully fought against oppression. So much of their prestige, and much of the prestige that Alexander Salome could still rely on, came from that resistance fight against a renistic empire.
5:47 Tristan Hughes? Having wrestled back control of Judea from the Seleucids, the Hasmonean dynasty had ruled the kingdom of Judea for almost 100 years by the time that Herod was born. And Herod's family had a long, albeit chequered, history with the regime. They hailed from the region of Idumea, or Edom, south of Judea.
6:10 Speaker 04 We do not know as much about Herod's family as we would like to know. We cannot trace them as far back as we can the Hasmoneans. But we know that Herod's grandfather, Antipas, was governor of Idumea in the service of Hasmonean kings. The Hasmoneans had conquered Idumea in 112 B.C. And they had forced the population of Idumea to choose between either leaving the country or adopting Jewish customs, including circumcision. And it seems that Herod's family was one of the elite families that stayed in the country. And so when the Hasmoneans were looking for local people or people with local knowledge who could govern this region for them, they seemed to have turned to Herod's family.
6:53 Tristan Hughes? It's now that we introduce our second expert, Dr Helen Bond, Professor of Christian Origins at Edinburgh University.
7:01 Speaker 05 Herod is born into a prominent Idumean family. They're noble people, they're wealthy, aristocratic, very ambitious. His mother is a Nabatean, an Arab.
7:14 Tristan Hughes? The Nabateans were an ancient people who lived in present-day Jordan. They are best remembered for their wondrous capital Petra and its hundreds of rock cartoms. Herod's mother, Kipros, may well have grown up in Petra.
7:30 Speaker 05 She also seems to be a noble woman, possibly even from the royal family. So they're a very influential family.
7:38 Tristan Hughes? Leading this family was Herod's ambitious father Antipater. Skillfully, Antipater had cemented himself near the heart of the Hasmonian regime. He became one of the most influential and powerful figures in the kingdom, and yet, his gaze was also fixed on a rapidly changing world. The age of powerful Greek neighbours was ending, a new power had risen to the fore. Antipater wanted to secure their support.
8:09 Speaker 05 The Romans really began to emerge onto the scene at the end of the Hasmonian dynasty. The queen Salome Alexandra dies in 67 BCE, and she leaves the kingdom to her eldest son Hicanus. Unfortunately, though, he has a younger brother Aristobulus, who's much more warlike and aggressive, and he decides that he wants the royal crown himself. And so, of course, the country has plunged into civil war. Now, this gap here provides great opportunities for Herod's father Antipater to exert himself and to assert his power.
8:49 Speaker 05 He is steadfastly loyal to the rightful heir Hicanus and always follows Hicanus, possibly because he realised that Hicanus was a little bit weak and there were much greater chances of his own advancement if he threw in his lot with Hicanus. Anyway, there's a civil war between these two men that goes on for several years. Eventually, both sides go to Pompeii. Pompeii the Great, who's now in Damascus...
9:17 Tristan Hughes? Gnaeus Pompeius Magnus, better known as Pompey the Great, was the most revered Roman general of the time. He had won great victories in both Anatolia and in the Caucasus. He had then taken control of Syria for Rome, bringing the ailing Seleucid Empire to its end. Rome now had a direct border with Judea. Its legions and most esteemed general were ready to intervene.
9:46 Speaker 04 Pompey meets the two sides in Damascus. He doesn't have to go to Judea, they come to him. That's how important he is and how unimportant Judea is for him. And he hears them out. And he says, "I won't decide right now, but you have to keep the peace and I'll come back." And it's Aristobulus who doesn't quite abide by this agreement and still has trouble. And that brings Pompey really onto the scene in Judea. That makes him conquer Jerusalem alternately, which is held by Aristobulus's side. And once he has done that, he installs Hircanus as high priest of Judea. That is quite a watershed moment, because it effectively means the end of the Hasmonian kingdom as a political entity.
10:28 Speaker 04 The Hasmonians are still in power because Hircanus is a Hasmonian leader. But he's no longer king. Pompey abolishes kingship in Judea, but instead makes him high priest and what he calls leader of the people. And in this new vassal state, if you want, the real person who makes the important decisions and to maintain the contact with Roman authorities is Antipater, have its father.
10:51 Tristan Hughes? Officially, Hircanus, or Hircanus, the royal Hasmonian prince, was the new ruler of Judea. But realistically, his family's power was limited. The Hasmonians were now subservient to Rome, and most power lay with Rome's main man in the region: Antipater.
11:14 Tristan Hughes? It was this backdrop that allowed Herod to grow up in a family at the forefront of political life.
11:21 Speaker 05 We actually don't know very much at all about Herod's early life. Presumably, he would have moved around quite a bit, because these are quite turbulent times. He would have had a good Jewish education, he'd have gone to the synagogue. He would have had private tutors at home as well. He'd have been taught Greek and history and all the things that a young aristocrat needs to know.
11:42 Speaker 04 His father, Antipater, was clearly a member of the Idumean elite. And that at the time would mean that you prepare your son for engaging in politics, in diplomacy with the powers that be. That doesn't mean that you need to know Latin, because when the Romans go to the east, they speak Greek. But you do need to know Greek, and you do probably need to have read Homer.
12:03 Speaker 05 We do know that later on, Herod liked to sort of think of himself as a bit of an intellectual. So he wrote memoirs and, you know, clearly he'd had some sort of educational background.
12:14 Speaker 04 So for many years, many scholars believe that Herod was born in Mahascha, which is the capital city of Idumea. We now know from archaeology that Mahascha was uninhabited at the time, which does raise the question, where did Herod grow up? Where could someone of that status, some elite Idumean noble, where could he have been raised? And for all we know now, given that Idumea was very heavily affected by the Hasmoni conquest, it's quite possible that Herod was raised in Jerusalem.
12:42 Tristan Hughes? Enjoying the luxuries of elite life, by his early twenties, Herod had developed quite the personality. As Dr Kimberley Chakovsky, senior lecturer in ancient history at the University of Edinburgh, explains.
12:57 Speaker 05 So we know, for example, he's very active, he's very energetic. He likes riding, he is quite involved in warfare, in putting down bandits, for example, as he's a young man. So he seems to be very fit, very physically active. He's said repeatedly, when he's a young man, to be energetic, to be this kind of energetic character who bursts onto the scene and gets things done.
13:23 Speaker 04 The problem is with these descriptions, that if you look at other people who came to power young and to overthrow an old order as Herod did, they are always described in the very same way. They are all good hunters, they all look very good, they are all able body. And one therefore has to wonder how much trust we can put in these sources. But it does appear from the pure history of events that Herod was a rash character. He very quickly got angry with people. When things didn't go his way, his immediate response was very often to kill or to use military force. And we have it several times in the sources, that his environment, his father, his brother, other people, need to calm him
14:06 Speaker 04 down before he does something that would actually hurt him down the line.
14:15 Tristan Hughes? While Herod spent his younger years learning what it meant to be an aristocrat, his father Antipater had been solidifying their family's position. Antipater allied himself with the famous Roman statesman Julius Caesar. Caesar named Antipater Procurator of Judea, Rome's client ruler in all but name. But Antipater couldn't rule alone, he needed allies he could trust. His sons were perfect candidates. He appointed his eldest son, Fazeo, to serve as commander of Jerusalem. Herod, then 27 years old, Antipater appointed as commander of Galilee, the northern region.
14:59 Speaker 03 This is his first position and this is his stepping stone, where he starts coming to the attention of a broader audience, shall we say.
15:08 Tristan Hughes? Herod wasted no time securing his family's control over Galilee, but it wouldn't be easy. Bandits, led by a rebel called Ezekias, menaced the region. Herod vowed to destroy them.
15:22 Speaker 03 This is quite an opportunity for Herod, because he deals with it very, very quickly. He kills Ezekias and various other people within his band. And we learn that this is quite popular within the region. Syrian towns and villages are said to be very, very happy with Herod about this, that he has brought back peace and restored their possessions and so on. But further to being popular in the region, it's also popular with the Romans and with Sextus Caesar in particular. Sextus Caesar is governor of Syria at that time. He is related to Julius Caesar. And so he is the most important, most powerful Roman in that region,
16:07 Speaker 03 because Syria is the Roman province next door to Judea as still a kind of client kingdom. So this is when Herod, not just his father, comes to the attention of the Roman bigwig at that time, the governor of Syria at that time, who is also very, very pleased that Herod has just got rid of this problematic bandit. The Romans generally want peace in the region. This is much easier to deal with. Herod's just been instrumental in restoring that.
16:34 Tristan Hughes? Herod's victory saw him emerge onto the political stage in triumph. But such success also bred jealousy.
16:45 Tristan Hughes? In Jerusalem, enemies were plotting. Antipater's family were getting too powerful, including Herod.
16:54 Speaker 03 So the basic point is that Herod, when he has killed these bandits in Galilee and apparently been quite popular in the local population and with the Romans for doing so, he has nonetheless come to the attention of, let's say, the elite in Jerusalem.
17:12 Speaker 05 Jerusalem is led by a council of noblemen who advise the king, Hyrcanus. And most of these are made up of the old nobility, people who are pro-Hasmonian, old money, we might say. And they get very jealous of Antipater and his sons. And clearly, they resent the fact that they are now quickly rising to power. So they start to insinuate things in the ear of the king. And they particularly take on Herod.
17:43 Speaker 03 The excuse that they find, or the possible charge they find, is that this action of killing this bandit and the rest of his gang is contrary to Jewish law. And this is where the accounts differ in Josephus. So in one account, it is said that he could have done this if he'd had the permission of Hyrcanus, the ethnic and high priest at the time, either orally or in writing. In another account, Josephus says that he needed to have the council condemn the bandit to death first. So we have two very different authority bases that are accounted differently in the sources that Herod has apparently ignored by just taking direct action.
18:29 Speaker 03 This seems to be an excuse. The elite in Jerusalem, the people around Hyrcanus at least, are getting worried about Herod's rise and indeed Antipater's rise, his father's rise as well, the level of control this family are beginning to exert over the government of Judea.
18:48 Tristan Hughes? Josephus, by the way, was a Jewish historian writing in the first century AD. He is our main source for Herod's early years. Now, back to the story. Under fire from this central council, Herod headed to Jerusalem to explain his actions. With the support of his family and the Romans, he rode into Jerusalem confident of acquittal. Too confident.
19:16 Speaker 03 Herod at first isn't particularly worried by this because, you know, he doesn't think he's done anything wrong. He's got very powerful backing in the shape of Sextus Caesar in Syria, who actually sends a note to say, make sure he's acquitted. He's also fairly confident that his family are high standing and so he doesn't think he's got anything to worry about. When he gets there, according to Josephus, he wears purple robes and he goes in with a bodyguard in full military dress. Not enough to make anyone suspicious that he's staging a coup, but just enough to let them know that he's somebody significant. There is this wonderful scene where he is there and no one wants to speak against
19:59 Speaker 03 him because he is really displaying his authority. There is an idea of kind of regalness there and at least emphasizing the level that he has got to, the amount of power that he has reached in part through his connections. One person speaks out against him, called Samias, in this council and points out to the rest of the members, "You do realise what he is doing. You do realise that you are letting him get away with this and he is undermining your authority." There is a little bit of an effect to this in that apparently then this sways the council members. Hikanas gets very, very worried and thinks that they are going to condemn Herod and so he arranges for Herod to flee.
20:41 Tristan Hughes? Herod fled Jerusalem angered by the opposition he had faced.
20:47 Speaker 03 When Herod has fled Jerusalem, he is worried that he's going to get summoned again to either the council or before Hikanas. And this is when he starts to get a bit annoyed. He believes at this point that Hikanas has turned against him and wants him condemned. This is made fairly evident in our sources that this is not the case. Hikanas is actually quite sympathetic to Herod. He has this Roman pressure from Sextus Caesar that keeps coming through that Herod should not be condemned, but for whatever reason, this is not quite translating to Herod. And so he decides to march on Jerusalem.
21:22 Tristan Hughes? Herod was hell-bent on seeking revenge against those who he thought had wronged him, even if that meant a return to civil war.
21:30 Speaker 03 This has an understandably worrying effect, both on Hikanas and everyone else at Jerusalem as well, and indeed on Herod's family. And he has to be talked down by his father and by his brother and persuaded to stand down and not to carry out an attack, which would have been absolutely disastrous.
21:52 Speaker 03 The arguments that are used there are essentially, "Look, Hikarnus is not against you. Any plotting that has gone on is by these terrible advisers or by the council members and so on. He has given you many benefits throughout your career. He has supported you, and you have been acquitted. Leave it alone. Stop." And this is effective, but it is this hint at a slightly hot-headed young Herod, shall we say, in the way that he is making decisions and trying to react.
22:22 Tristan Hughes? Herod relented. He travelled back to Galilee to continue his role as governor, establishing his capital at Sepphoris. Crisis had been averted, for now.
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23:58 Speaker 05 On the Ides of March in 44 BCE, Julius Caesar is assassinated. And this is a massive event for Herod and his family, because they have very much pinned their colours to Julius Caesar. And now, suddenly without him, that leaves them in an uncertain territory. As it happens, though, one of the conspirators, Cassius, becomes governor of Syria, Roman governor of Syria, in 43, the next year.
24:27 Speaker 03 Cassius is one of the assassins of Julius Caesar. And he comes to Syria after the assassination of Caesar, where Rome is on the brink of civil war. The wider empire is going to be instrumental in how we handle this. And thus, if you're getting insecurities on an imperial level, you are going to need to take hold of troops, which is one of the reasons that he is in the area. And you are going to make sure that you can supply them properly. You are going to need plenty of money in order to maintain your troops.
24:57 Speaker 04 Because the Romans are so powerful, and because no one knows how this civil war that now starts in Rome will end, no one can resist this request. So being a politician in Judea at the time becomes very much an exercise in raising funds for the murderers of Caesar. And Antipater is excellent in doing that. Herod is excellent in doing that. Some other nobles are not so excellent at doing that. And that, of course, shows Cassius, who he can rely on in Judea.
25:26 Speaker 03 This is going to have good repercussions for Herod. Not only does he, but actually the rest of the family, come into great favour with the new big Roman on the block. He makes sure that these general Roman imperial relations continue very well for the family, that they are in good standing, that they are useful allies, but also the specific relationship with these individuals on the ground, as it were.
25:53 Tristan Hughes? As Termol gripped the heart of the Roman Republic, Herod and his family held a firm grip over Judea, handing over tribute to Cassius. But enemies were lurking, including a figure called Malachus.
26:08 Speaker 03 Malachus has been one of the people who doesn't do quite so well during this period. He does not pay the amount of his tribute very quickly, he's quite slow. And Antipater actually has been instrumental in protecting him, in making sure that Cassius does not take vengeance on him. And thereafter, Malachus apparently starts trying to plot against Antipater. This is found out, and there is a reconciliation. But at this point, another Roman in the area, Merkus, wants to execute Malachus and get him out the way because he has been plotting against Antipater, who is absolutely key and instrumental and a really useful ally for the Romans.
26:51 Speaker 03 Again, Antipater saves him. He says, "No, no, no, we've had this reconciliation, it's absolutely fine." But then, Malachus poisons him.
27:00 Speaker 05 According to Josephus, he bribes one of Hicanus's wine stewards so that during a banquet, he puts poison in Antipater's wine. Antipater drinks the poison and dies soon afterwards.
27:15 Speaker 03 What seems to have happened is that essentially the family's success with Cassius and furthering their Roman relations causes local worries. It looks like they really are on the rise, you have this huge imperial power who are also supporting them and in some ways making them look fairly invulnerable, that this has its flip side. And so the success is also the reason for Antipater's death and downfall as well.
27:42 Speaker 05 The death of his father is a huge moment for Herod. Antipater has been the one to propel the family from a local aristocracy to really pretty much running the country. Antipater was viceroy of the whole of Judea under Julius Caesar, so he's had a massive amount of power. He's very much been the leader, the leading light of the Herodian house. So this is a huge moment for Herod, the one I think that he is ready for and steps into the big shoes of his father.
28:21 Tristan Hughes? Herod and his older brother Fazal had only one thing on their mind: vengeance.
28:29 Speaker 03 Herod is fairly determined to get vengeance very quickly for Antipater's murder. And this is another occasion where we perhaps see the slightly impetuous, the slightly hot-headed Herod. He wants to immediately go out and murder Malachus and take vengeance. His brother Fazal stops him, essentially saying, "Look, you don't want to incite a popular riot. We don't want civil war if you just go and murder this person." Malachus is denying everything at the same time. He is saying that he is lamenting Antipater and so on and so forth. And there is definitely, not factionalism, but not everyone is behind Herod and Antipater and the brothers at this point as well. There is perhaps a divided
29:13 Speaker 03 population. So Fazal is the restraint. He says, "Wait." What Herod then does is essentially gets permission from Cassius to murder Malachus, which he obtains. There is a nice cryptic comment in Josephus that Cassius had his own reasons for disliking Malachus, which we can think back to that slow payment of the tribute and various other things. Cassius then also instructs Roman tribunes to help Herod. So eventually, Herod invites Hyrcanus and Malachus to dinner. This is entire. At the same time, he alerts these
29:52 Speaker 03 two Roman tribunes, who stab Malachus to death. And Hyrcanus is apparently completely flabbergasted by this. He obviously hadn't expected this to happen. And he asks, "By whose command was this done? Who has done this?" And he is given the answer Cassius'. And so he then has to backtrack and essentially say, "Oh, then a great favour has been done for me." Even though this was obviously unexpected, it was obviously something that he did not want. And it exposes his own position and the insecurity of his own position as well.
30:28 Speaker 04 As far as Hyrcanus was concerned, the family of Antipater was out of power. He had switched sides to Manicheus. But it is Roman involvement that brings Herod back into the stage.
30:42 Tristan Hughes? Herod and his brother Fazeol were restored as rulers of Judea. But tensions remained. Other enemies circled, led by a new royal rival: Antigonus.
30:56 Speaker 05 Antigonus is the younger son of Aristobulus, who was the younger brother of Hicanus, between whom there was a civil war a few years earlier. He's really the last remaining of the Hasmeneans, so the last hope really of a Hasmenean leader. Antigonus wants to establish his claim on the Judean throne, and he does it by getting support from the Parthians.
31:24 Speaker 04 The Parthians have their designs on the entire Roman Near East. They do not care particularly much about Judea. But in this wider conquest that they plan, of Syria, Cilicia, perhaps Asia Minor, Judea is a small piece of the puzzle. So when Antigonus notices that Parthia will try to conquer the Near East, he offers his services, if you want, as high priest of Jerusalem.
31:50 Speaker 05 A lot of local strongmen are very interested in joining this cause, partly because he's Hasmenean, perhaps too because people aren't all that keen on Herod and his brother.
32:03 Tristan Hughes? Herod and Fazeol relied more than ever on Roman support. But in the meantime, their former ally Cassius had fallen, defeated and killed in the Roman civil war at the Battle of Philippi. Herod and Fazeol pandered to the new great Roman statesman in the east, the esteemed general who had defeated Cassius, Mark Antony. Rather than punish Herod and Fazeol for their past service to Cassius, Mark Antony recognized their loyalty to Rome. He affirmed their positions as joint rulers of Judea.
32:40 Tristan Hughes? But his interest in the region was limited, his gaze fixed on the alluring queen of Egypt, Cleopatra. For Antigonus, backed by Parthian aid, now was the time to strike.
32:56 Speaker 05 Antigonus marches on Jerusalem and he besieges it. Herod and his brother Facile are inside Jerusalem, keeping things going there. But things aren't looking too good for them. So Antigonus sends his friend and ally, a man called Pacorus, to them and says, "We want to negotiate for peace."
33:18 Speaker 04 Facile does not quite believe that these talks will be as peaceful as the Parthians claim, but he goes nevertheless because he does not really have many options.
33:26 Speaker 05 But of course it is a trap and he's imprisoned and held to ransom. Later on, he actually kills himself when Antigonus becomes king of Judea. But this leaves Herod on his own now, defending Jerusalem. And he realizes that it's hopeless, he can't do it on his own.
33:45 Speaker 04 Herod must have felt quite isolated at the time. Antigonus clearly enjoyed broad support among the Judean populace, all of those who were unhappy with the Roman order flock to him. And Herod then makes the decision that he has to leave Jerusalem. He flees to the south.
34:01 Tristan Hughes? With his father dead, his brother missing, and his support waning, Herod escaped Jerusalem with his family and whatever followers he could muster. He had suffered a brutal and swift fall from power, isolated and in despair. If Herod were to have any chance of restoring his fortunes, gathering new support was essential. He had to find new allies.
34:33 Speaker 04 Herod goes to the south for two reasons. It is where Idumea is, his family's home country, where he has resources and networks. It is also where we find the imposing fortress of Masara at the Death Sea, an almost impenetrable place where he intends to keep his family safe. At the same time, he tries to find support in what he at this time believes is an operation to rescue his brother, who he thinks is still alive. So he goes to Petra to talk to the Nabatean king and ask for money.
35:05 Speaker 03 This is completely unsuccessful. There are good reasons why Herod might have thought that this would work. He has familial relations, in part with certain Nabataean elite members and so on. So there could be reasons why he would have thought that he would get help from the Nabataeans. Doesn't work, so he has to go elsewhere, and elsewhere is Rome.
35:26 Speaker 04 He needs a harbour for that, and the coast is under Parthian control. So what he does is he goes to Egypt, to Alexandria, where he meets Cleopatra.
35:35 Speaker 03 There is a rather interesting encounter where Cleopatra is apparently delighted to receive Herod, and suggests that he leads an expedition for her, that she is planning. We don't know what this is, what she is intending, and so on, but it's an interesting detail about what she might be doing in the region at this time and her own plans. He says no, and he moves on.
35:58 Speaker 03 He has a fairly eventful trip to Rome. He gets shipwrecked along the way, he does eventually make it to Rhodes, and then he makes it to Rome.
36:07 Tristan Hughes? The journey across the Mediterranean was uncomfortable and storm-ridden. Never before, to our knowledge, had Herod crossed the seas to Italy. But his desperate situation gave him little choice. Rome was his last hope.
36:23 Speaker 03 When Herod's in Rome, first person he goes to is Mark Antony, one of the key power figures in Rome at this time. Obviously Caesar has been killed quite a few years ago now, in 44. We then get the various civil wars, and we're now at the point where we have the rise of Mark Antony and of Octavian, who will later become Caesar Augustus. So these are the big Roman figures on the scene. There have been relations before, Antony has supported Herod before, and then Herod turns up in Rome with a complete reversal of fortunes. He has lost various members of his family. He has previously been one of the most prominent people in the region,
37:06 Speaker 03 and suddenly he has been exiled, essentially he has had to flee Jerusalem, and he has nothing, and he's turned up in Rome, and he asks Antony for help. And Antony seems quite willing to do so. The points that are mentioned in terms of Antony's willingness to help Herod are indeed his prior relationship with his father Antipater, remembering the good services, and also Antony's particular antipathy for Antigonus, who is obviously the Parthian candidate who is currently occupying Jerusalem. And Herod has given many good services to the Roman in his own right, so he then becomes essentially the Roman candidate. He becomes useful for Antony in securing this region again
37:50 Speaker 03 and for making sure that this client state has a Roman-friendly person, let's say, at this point in power. But it's not just about Antony because Herod then also apparently wins the support of Octavian, who is later to become Augustus. Octavian being the adoptive son of Julius Caesar. And Josephus is fairly explicit that it really is not just Antony. Octavian is even more keen on Herod. He is even fiercer in his support for putting Herod in power. And this is again put back to citing Antipater's support for Caesar in Egypt. So way back when, an awful lot goes back to this military support that his father had given
38:34 Speaker 03 and the worries about the Parthians and about Antigonus being installed in Jerusalem. So Herod's plea for help is quite successful. There ends up being a senate meeting called where the same sort of arguments are put forward, i.e. one, Antipater, the father, has been very, very helpful as an ally to the Romans. Two, Herod has also shown his own goodwill to the Romans in a variety of ways. And three, Antigonus is a problem and the Parthians are a problem. And thus suddenly, Herod is named king of Judea in Rome in 40 BCE. And this is really a Roman installation. This has nothing to do with the native rulers, the native dynasty in Judea.
39:18 Speaker 03 This is Rome deciding and declaring that Herod will be king.
39:22 Speaker 05 Josephus paints a really vivid portrait of Herod coming out of the Senate building with Mark Antony on one side, Octavian on the other, all these consuls and magistrates, and they go up to the Capitol and they offer sacrifice. And this is a great moment of triumph for Herod. This is the greatest honour his family could ever have imagined.
39:54 Speaker 01 What started the civil war? What ended the conflict in Vietnam? Who was Paul Revere? And did the Vikings ever reach America?
40:05 Speaker 01 I'm Don Wildman, and on American History Hit, my expert guests and I are journeying across the nation and through the years to uncover the stories that have made America. We'll visit the battlefields and debate floors where the nation was formed, meet the characters who have altered it with their touch, and count the votes that have changed the direction of our laws and leadership. Find American History Hit twice a week, every week, wherever you get your podcasts. American History Hit, a podcast from History Hit.
40:42 Speaker 01 I'm Connor Tomlinson from Love on the Spectrum. History is my thing, and I've been waiting my whole life for a show like this one.
40:49 Speaker 02 And I'm Carter Roy, and this is What the Fact. Three facts a week, each with the whole story behind it. The history class you actually wished you had in school. New episodes every Wednesday. Follow What the Fact wherever you listen, or subscribe on YouTube at What the Fact Pod.
41:12 Speaker 03 Herod being named king by the Roman Senate is a complete game changer, because suddenly he is not only a very good ally to the Romans, energetic, powerful in his local region, he has now been given this title. And it makes him even more dependent on the Romans than he ever had been before, in some ways, because this is completely divorced from native power structures in Judea. It is an imperial power saying, you will be king of this particular region.
41:47 Speaker 04 Herod must have been amazed that the Romans had made him king. In just a few weeks, his fortunes had completely changed, from utter desperation to him potentially becoming the most powerful person in Jerusalem. I imagine that he was proud. He had achieved a status that his father could never have dreamt of. At the same time, he must have been worried for his family. They were still stuck in Masada. He also knew that nothing had been won yet, and that he needed to fight for his throne.
42:13 Tristan Hughes? Herod's venture to Rome proved incredibly successful, from refugee to royal ruler. The Romans had thrown their whole support behind Herod.
42:27 Tristan Hughes? With money and men in hand, in 39 B.C., Herod sailed back to Judea, determined to wrestle control back from Antigonus. In the meantime, his brother, Vaseon, had died in Antigonus's captivity. There would be no negotiations. Civil war beckoned.
42:49 Speaker 04 Herod returns to Judea with a Roman army that is supposed to put him on the throne. For all we know, they were not very good at it. The reports say that Herod had to fight enemies in Judea, but he also had to fight the lackluster attitude of Roman governors, some of whom seemed to have been bribed by Antigonus. He had to find provisions for the Romans, because they were somehow unable to do that themselves. And all the while, Herod knew that his family was still in Masada, that he had to cross the entire territory of Judea to get to them, and that he had to find supporters. It seems that the first people to take Herod's side were the people of Galilee, where he had been a commander, and apparently he had created quite a strong network during his time there.
43:32 Speaker 05 Galilee is sort of his natural homeland. That's where he's had most association. It's a very difficult war to win, though, because it feels like almost as soon as he settles one area and leaves, things pop up. So the city of Sepphoris revolts. He has to go back and sort that out. There's still trouble with brigands and rebels in Galilee. And one of the stories that Josephus tells us gives us... There's a real insight into Herod as a strategist. Apparently, there are bandits in caves in Galilee, but the caves are sort of on a sheer drop. The only way to get up to them is by tiny little tracks that are lower down. And so, of course, as soon as anybody comes to try and gets to the rebels,
44:16 Speaker 05 they can just cut them down easily. But Herod thinks about it and thinks, how can I manage this? And he builds cages and has them put down from on high. He sort of lowers them down with soldiers in the cages. And so they sort of come right up to the caves and then they can kill the rebels in the caves. So, I mean, he's doing all kinds of things like that, really creative ways of battling against his enemies. At the same time, there's all sorts of difficulties with the war, with people betraying him. Even Romans, who are supposed to be on his side. Antigonus seems to have plenty of money and he's constantly bribing people to defect and to go on to his side, or at least not to help Herod.
45:01 Speaker 04 And we can imagine the society of Judea at this time to be quite divided. Not everyone would have liked the thought of an Idumean becoming king of Judea. But Antigonus had been put on the throne by the Parthians. That was not a very traditional candidate either. Both of these are puppets of foreign powers. But Antigonus has the advantage of holding Jerusalem, acting as high priest in the temple, and of being of the Hasmonian royal family, none of which could be said for Herod. And he tries to make the most of this in his propaganda. If you look at the coins of Antigonus, they show the menorah, they show the shoebread table. No Hasmonian before Antigonus had ever put these symbols on coins. He does so to show that he controls the temple
45:46 Speaker 04 and that he stands for Jewish tradition against the foreigner that is Herod.
45:54 Tristan Hughes? The war between Herod and Antigonus was fierce, and it wasn't without personal loss. Although Herod successfully rescued his family from Masada, Joseph, one of his younger brothers, was ambushed and killed fighting for Herod. Nevertheless, despite bribes, betrayals, and a brother's demise, Herod and his Roman allies slowly made progress. Cities were conquered, regions were subdued, and the Parthians were repelled. Finally, their forces marched on the ultimate prize: Antigonus's capital, Jerusalem.
46:33 Speaker 04 It takes Herod three years to get to the gates of Jerusalem. When he finally gets to Jerusalem, Antigonus stands on the wall and calls him publicly a half-Jew, someone who cannot be made king because Jewish law forbids it. Romans, thankfully for Herod, do not care.
46:49 Tristan Hughes? With more than 30,000 soldiers at his disposal, including 11 Roman legions, Herod's forces laid siege to Jerusalem. They created great siege engines to assault the city's walls, and tunnels to undermine them. Despite being vastly outnumbered, Antigonus's men repelled these assaults for more than a month. But finally, Herod's Roman juggernaut prevailed. They took the walls and stormed the city, slaughtering everyone they met as the Romans rampaged through Jerusalem's narrow streets. Defeated, Antigonus surrendered to the Romans and was imprisoned. But Herod had other ideas.
47:34 Tristan Hughes? Paying Mark Antony a large sum of money, Herod persuaded him to have Antigonus executed. Antigonus's death marked the end of the Hasmenean dynasty and the beginning of the Herodian dynasty. Herod had won.
47:53 Tristan Hughes? Through blood and battle, family tragedies and foreign support, Herod had risen to become king of Judea. In the past, he had been overshadowed by the likes of his father and older brother, but now, he ruled supreme.
48:09 Speaker 03 Herod's rise is absolutely extraordinary. It's eventful, it has everything. It has battles, it has family deaths, it has murders. It does also, in an odd way, conform to some narratives that we find in antiquity more broadly about the rise of a tyrant, for example, that you have this very, very promising figure who, as a youth, is energetic, go-getting, gets everything done. Against all the odds, this outsider normally wins the throne or comes to prominence, and that's when things start to go wrong.
48:45 Tristan Hughes? Herod would rule for 37 years, adorning his kingdom with some of Judea's most famous ancient architecture. He established lavish palace fortresses across the land, including at Masada. He rebuilt, expanded and glorified Jerusalem's temple, the centre of Jewish worship and the house of their god. He created new cities adorned with Roman and Greek architecture. His monumental tomb is one of the greatest archaeological discoveries of recent history. His colossal building programmes helped him become known as Herod the Great.
49:24 Tristan Hughes? But he was also ruthless, a paranoid tyrant who would murder several members of his own family, and whose legacy has become entwined with the fabled biblical slaughter.
49:37 Speaker 03 I think most people remember Herod today, or know Herod today, as essentially the baby killer. Thinking about the New Testament tradition and the massacre of the innocents remains the one go-to idea that people have if they hear the name Herod. Whether it should or not is another question, and we certainly can't reduce historical figures, Herod included, to goodies and baddies.
50:01 Speaker 03 That's it. So we can think about his achievements and the rise is quite extraordinary. What he does while in power is quite extraordinary. The way that he balances the various power dynamics within that region and with the new imperial power on the block, Rome, is incredible. Doesn't stop him from being an absolutely detestable, horrible person, and I'm not sure we have to choose between the two.
50:40 Tristan Hughes? Well, there you go. There was our special episode talking through the rise of Herod with not one, not two, but three fantastic experts. Professors Benedict Eckhart and Helen Bond and Dr Kimberley Chikovski, all from the University of Edinburgh. The story of Herod's rise is a fascinating one, so I really do hope you enjoyed the episode. Thank you for listening. The episode was edited together by our fantastic editor, Aidan Lonigan. So, Aidan, thank you so much for that. If you did enjoy this episode, well, if you'd be kind enough to leave us a rating on Spotify, on Apple Podcasts, or wherever you get your podcasts, well, we'd really appreciate that.
51:24 Tristan Hughes? Don't forget, you can also sign up to History Hit for hundreds of hours of original documentaries with a new release every week. Sign up at historyhit.com/subscribe. A History Hit subscription is also a perfect Christmas gift for your history-loving relative, so also remember that. Now, that's all from me. Thank you for listening. Let us know your thoughts in the comments, and I will see you in the next episode.
51:59 Speaker 01 I'm Connor Tomlinson from Love on the Spectrum. History is my thing, and I've been waiting my whole life for a show like this one. And I'm Carter Roy, and this is What the Fact. Three facts a week, each with the whole story behind it. The history class you actually wished you had in school. New episodes every Wednesday. Follow What the Fact wherever you listen or subscribe on YouTube at What the Fact Pod.
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