Herods

The Herods, or the Herodian dynasty, were a series of rulers in Judea and surrounding regions from the late 1st century BCE into the 1st century CE. The dynasty originated with Antipater the Idumean and was established as a Roman client monarchy after the collapse of the Hasmonean kingdom. The rulers bore the name Herod and governed in ways that blended Roman politics, Hellenistic culture, and local Jewish expectations.

Herod the Great, ruling from 37 BCE to 4 BCE, is the best known member. He expanded the Temple in Jerusalem, built the city of Caesarea Maritima, and fortified sites such as Masada. Upon his death, his realm was divided among his sons: Archelaus (Judea, Samaria, Idumea), Antipas (Galilee and Perea), and Philip II (Iturea and Trachonitis). In 6 CE Archelaus was deposed, and Judea became a Roman province under a prefect, while the other territories remained under client rulers for a time.

Later Herod rulers included Agrippa I (37–44 CE), who gained increased royal prerogatives and carried out notable political events described in Roman and Christian sources, and Agrippa II (reigning into the late 1st century CE), who, with his sister Berenice, represented the final phase of the dynasty. The Herodian line effectively ended in the late 1st century CE, as direct dynastic rule waned and the region remained under Roman provincial control.

The Herods left a lasting architectural and political footprint, contributing to urban development and the complex governance of Judea under Roman sovereignty. They are frequently referenced in biblical, historical, and archaeological contexts as key agents in the region’s transition from Hasmonean independence to imperial rule.