A Dictionary of Greek and Roman biography and mythology. By various writers. Ed. by William Smith. Illustrated by numerous engravings on wood.

426' HERODES. HERODES..
~ 3, B. J. i. 19, 20; comp. Plut. Ant. 72;. Tac. of the district of Paneas, as he previously-had by
Hist. v. 9; Strab. xvi. p. 765.) Just before he had- those of Ituraea and Trachonitis. (Joseph. Ant.
proceeded to Rhodes, Herod had thought fit to re- xv. 10. ~ 1-3, B. J. i. 21. ~ 4; Dion Cass. liv.
move the only person whom he could any longer 9.) Herod displayed his gratitude for this new
regard as in any degree a competitor for his throne, favour by erecting at Paneas itself a magnificent
by putting to death the aged and feeble Hyrcanus, temple of white marble, which he dedicated to Auon a charge, real or pretended, of treasonable cor- gustus. It was indeed by costlyand splendid public
respondence with Malchus, king of Arabia. Thus works that he loved above all to display his power
secured in the possession of an ample sovereignty, and magnificence: nor did he fail to avail himself
and supported by the favour of one who was now of these opportunities of flattering the pride of the
undisputed master of the world, Herod was appa- Roman emperor by the most lasting as well as
rently at the highest summit of prosperity. But conspicuous compliments. Thus he rebuilt the city
his happiness was now clouded by a dark domestic of Samaria, which had been destroyed by Joannes
calamity, which threw a shade over the whole of Hyrcanus, and bestowed on it the name of Sebaste;
his remaining life. He was passionately attached while he converted a small town on the sea-coast,
to his beautiful wife, Mariamne; but with a strange called the Tower of Straton, into a magnificent
and barbarous jealousy, he had left orders, when city, with an artificial port, on a scale of the utmost
he repaired to meet Antony at Laodiceia, in B. C. grandeur, to which he gave the name of Caesareia.
34, that in case of his falling a victim to the And not only did he adorn these new cities with
machinations of his enemies, Mariamne should be temples, theatres, gymnasia, and other buildings in
immediately put to death, to prevent her falling the Greek style, but he even ventured to erect a
into the hands of Antony. The same savage com- theatre at Jerusalem itself, and an amphitheatre
mand was repeated when he went to Rhodes to without the walls, in which he exhibited combats
meet Octavian: on both occasions the fact became of wild beasts and gladiators, according to the
known to Mariamne, and naturally alienated her Roman fashion. But these innovations naturally
mind from her cruel husband. Her resentment gave the deepest offence to the Jewish people: a
was inflamed by her mother, Alexandra, while conspiracy was formed against the king by ten
Cypros and Salome, the mother and sister of Herod, persons, who attempted to assassinate him in the
did their utmost to excite his suspicions against theatre: and though, after the discovery of this
Mariamne. The king was at length induced to plot, we hear no more of. any distinct attempts
bring her to trial on a charge of adultery; and the upon the life of Herod, he was obliged to guard
judges having condemned her, he reluctantly con- himself against the increasing spirit of disaffection,
sented to her execution. But his passion appears not only by the employment of numerous spies and
to have been unabated; and so violent were his secret agents, and by prohibiting all unusual assemgrief and remorse, that he was for a long time on blages, but by the construction of several fortresses
the verge of insanity, and was attacked by so vio- or citadels around the city of Jerusalem itself, by
lent a fever, that his life was despaired of. He which means he sought to hem in the populace on
recovered at length, but his temper was henceforth all sides, and prevent any possibility of an outso gloomy and ferocious, that the slightest suspicion break. The most remarkable of these forts was
would lead him to order the execution even of his that called Antonia, in the immediate neighbourbest friends. Immediately after his recovery he hood of the tenmple: another of them, called the
put to death Alexandra, whose restless ambition Hyrcania, was converted into a prison, into which
had been intriguing to obtain possession of Jerusa- all persons who incurred his suspicions were hurried
lem, in case of his death: and not long afterwards, at once, without form of trial, and from whence
at the instigation of his sister, Salome, he ordered they never again appeared. At the same time we
the execution of her husband, Costobarus, together find him repeatedly endeavouring to conciliate his
with several of his own most intimate friends and subjects by acts of munificence and liberality, in all
counsellors. (Joseph. Ant. xv. 3. ~ 5-9, 7, B. J. of'which we discern the same spirit of ostentatious
i. 22.) grandeur which appears to have been so deeply
But Herod's domestic calamities did not in any implanted in his character. Thus, on occasion of
degree affect the splendour either external or in- a great famine, which afflicted Judaea, as well as
ternal of his administration. He continued to cul- all the neighbouring countries, he at once opened
tivate with assiduity the all-important friendship of the hoards of his treasury, brought up vast quanAugustus, as well as that of his prime minister and tities of corn from Egypt, and not only fed the
counsellor Agrippa, and enjoyed throughout the whole mass of the population at his own cost, but
remainder of his life the highest favour both of the supplied many of the neighbouring provinces with
one and the other. Nor were his services ever seed corn for the next harvest. (Joseph. Ant. xv.
wanting when called for. In B. c. 25 he sent a 9.) More than once also we find him remitting a
chosen force to the assistance of Aelius Gallus, in great part of the heavy taxation, which was usually
his expedition into Arabia; and in B. C. 17, after paid by his subjects. Yet these occasional acts of
having received Agrippa with the utmost honour indulgence could but imperfectly compensate for the
at Jerusalem, he set out himself early in the follow- general arbitrary and oppressive character of his
ing spring with a powerful fleet to join him in his government: and the magnificence displayed in his
expedition to the Bosporus and the interior of public works, far from conciliating the minds of his
the Euxine Sea. For this ready zeal, he was re- subjects, served only to increase their mistrust and
warded by obtaining, without difficulty, almost all disaffection, as a proof of his leaning towards an
that he could ask at the hands of Augustus; and idolatrous religion. In order, if possible, to dispel
when the latter, in B. C. 20, visited Judaea in this feeling, he at length determined on the great
person, he not only refused to listen to the com- work of rebuilding the temple of Jerusalem itself,
plaints of his subjects and neighbours against which, on account of its being frequently used as a
Herod, but increased his dominions by the addition fortress, had suffered much during the late wars.