(fl. 1st cent BCE)
King of Judea (37-4 BCE), son of Antipater II. He was appointed governor of Galilee by his father in 47 BCE. When he successfully crushed a Galilean revolt, he was censured by the Great Sanhedrin. Later he was appointed tetrarch of Judea and subsequently king. As ruler he constructed a Greek theatre and amphi-theatre in Jerusalem, transformed Samaria into a Greco-Samarian city, built the port of Caesarea, and rebuilt the Temple in Jerusalem. During his reign he dealt harshly with anyone whom he believed to constitute a threat to his powers; he put many people to death, including his wife Mariamne and her sons.
Dictionary of Jewish Biography. Dan Cohn-Sherbok.