Herod I, or Herod the Great (c. 75 – 4 BCE), was the king of Judea who ruled as a client of Rome. He has gained lasting infamy as the 'slaughterer of the innocents' as recounted in the New Testament's book of Mathew. Herod was, though, a gifted administrator, and in his 33-year reign, he was responsible for many major building works which included a rebuilding of the Temple of Jerusalem, several aqueducts, and the massive fortress known as the Herodium. Historians have re-assessed his long-held negative reputation and now credit his reign as having had at least some positive effects on Jews and Judaism in his kingdom.
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Definition
Timeline
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37 BCE - 4 BCEReign of Herod the Great over Judea.
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37 BCEHerod the Great is made governor of Galilee.
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37 BCEHerod the Great retakes Jerusalem from the Parthians.
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29 BCEHerod the Great executes his wife Mariamme on grounds of being unfaithful.
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23 BCE - 20 BCEHerod the Great conquers areas north of Galilee.
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c. 15 BCEHerod the Great completes construction of his massive fortress and future mausoleum the Herodium.
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9 BCEHerod the Great wages war against Nabataea.
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c. 6 BCE - c. 30 CELife of Jesus Christ.
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4 BCEHerod the Great, suspicious of rival factions, executes his son Antipater.
