* Alexander, Judean Prince, one of the sons of Herod the Great from his wife Mariamne

This however resulted in that year not corresponding with the lifetimes of historical figures reputed to be alive, or otherwise mentioned in connection with the Christian incarnation, e. g. Herod the Great or Quirinius.

4 BC ( Death of Herod the Great )

* Cleopatra of Jerusalem ( 1st century BC ), wife of Herod the Great

Egypt is identified in the Bible as the place of refuge that the Holy Family sought in its flight from Judea: " When he arose, he took the young Child and His mother by night and departed for Egypt, and was there until the death of Herod the Great, that it might be fulfilled which was spoken by the Lord through the prophet, saying, Out of Egypt I called My Son " ( Matthew 2: 12 – 23 ).

It was one of the world's first health resorts ( for Herod the Great ), and it has been the supplier of a wide variety of products, from balms for Egyptian mummification to potash for fertilizers.

King Herod the Great built or rebuilt several fortresses and palaces on the western bank of the Dead Sea.

Gentile government was strengthened by the city's refoundation under Herod the Great ( r. 37 – 4 BC ), when it had taken on the name of Augustus Caesar.

In 40 – 39, Herod the Great was appointed King of the Jews by the Roman Senate, and in 6 CE the last ethnarch of Judea was deposed by the emperor Augustus and his territories were combined with Idumea and Samaria and annexed as Iudaea Province under direct Roman administration.

However, according to other historical accounts Machaerus was rebuilt by Herod the Great around 30 AD and then passed to Herod Antipas.

Remains from Herod the Great | Herod's palace

One of these forts, built at the entrance to Wadi Qelt, was later refortified by Herod the Great, who named it Kypros after his mother.

His writings provide a significant, extra-Biblical account of the post-Exilic period of the Maccabees, the Hasmonean dynasty, and the rise of Herod the Great.

He refers to the Sadducees, Jewish High Priests of the time, Pharisees and Essenes, the Herodian Temple, Quirinius ' census and the Zealots, and to such figures as Pontius Pilate, Herod the Great, Agrippa I and Agrippa II, John the Baptist, James the brother of Jesus, and a centuries-long disputed reference to Jesus ( for more see Josephus on Jesus ).

* 2007 – Israeli archaeologists discover the tomb of Herod the Great south of Jerusalem.

According to Josephus, a 1st-century Jewish Roman historian, Herod the Great fortified Masada between 37 and 31 BC as a refuge for himself in the event of a revolt.

Approximately 27 BCE, the city was rebuilt by Herod the Great who named it Sebaste after the emperor Augustus.

Herod the Great visited Sidon.

The Latin spelling Sabaoth combined with the golden vines over the door on the Herodian Temple ( built by the Idumean Herod the Great ) led to the purportedly false identification by Romans with the god Sabazius.

The tetrarchy of Judaea, established after the death of Herod the Great, is the most famous example of the antique tetrarchy.

Vespasian is remembered by Josephus, in his Antiquities of the Jews, as a fair and humane official, in contrast with the notorious Herod the Great whom Josephus goes to great lengths to demonize.

Herod the Great builts an armory, barracks, storehouses and a palace.

* Herod the Great builds a palace in Jerusalem and the fortress Herodian in Judaea.

Herod surrounded the city with a large wall and included within it a smaller walled component that featured a temple.

Around 19 BCE, Herod the Great further expanded the Mount and rebuilt the temple.

Reconstruction of the temple under Herod began with a massive expansion of the Temple Mount.

The Greek historians record that the town was celebrated for its monolithite temple and oracle of the goddess Wadjet ( Buto ) ( Herod.

* 1 – 99 BC – Expansion of Herod the Great's temple begins.

Herod ’ s greatest exploit was the rebuilding of the temple.

Herod is excited at first to see Jesus and hopes Jesus will perform a miracle for him ; he asks Jesus several questions but Jesus does not answer.

The Magi go to see Herod the Great and ask where they can find the one born " King of the Jews.

However, many scholars see a contradiction, in that while the Gospel of Matthew places Jesus ' birth under the reign of Herod the Great, who died in 4 BC, the Gospel of Luke also dates the birth ten years after Herod's death during the census of Quirinius, described by the historian Josephus.

Herod ruled the Province of Judea as a client-king of the Romans, rebuilt the Second Temple ( see also Herod's Temple ), upgraded the surrounding complex, and expanded the minting of coins to many denominations.

While the terms used for the Roman emperor are Kaisar Augustos ( Decree from Caesar Augustus, Dogma para Kaisaros Augoustou, Luke 2: 1 ) or just Kaisar ( see Render unto Caesar ...) and Pontius Pilate is called Hegemon ( Matthew 27: 2 ), Herod is Basileus ( in his coins also Basileôs Herodou and by Josephus )

Many scholars see a contradiction in that Luke places the birth of Jesus during the Census of Quirinius, which took place in 6 AD, although Matthew states the conception took place during the reign of King Herod — at least 10 years earlier.

Herod Antipas ( the same man who had previously ordered the death of John the Baptist ) had wanted to see Jesus for a long time, because he had been hoping to observe one of the miracles of Jesus.

Herod the Great built a fortress and palace ( see Herod's Palace ) on the top of Herodium, and may have been buried there.

As with the wording of the previous verse many scholars also see this linking of the Jewish leaders and Herod as an example of Christian anti-Semitism.

The context of this reference is the 36 AD defeat of Herod Antipas in his conflict with Aretas IV of Nabatea, which the Jews of the time attributed to misfortune brought about by Herod's unjust execution of John.

Josephus stated ( Antiquities 18. 5. 2 ) that the AD 36 defeat of Herod Antipas in the conflicts with Aretas IV of Nabatea was widely considered by the Jews of the time as misfortune brought about by Herod's unjust execution of John the Baptist.

John condemned Herod for marrying Herodias ( who was not only his brother Philip's former wife but also Herod's niece ) in violation of Old Testament Law.

Later Herodias's daughter Salome ( who was both Herod's grand-niece and stepdaughter ) dances before Herod, who offers her a favour in return.

So it may have been that Herod wanted John arrested because he was a political threat, and John's condemnations of Herod's marriage was " the final straw ".

* Herod the Great ( c. 74 – 4 BC ), client king of Judaea who rebuilt the Second Temple ( in Jerusalem ) into Herod's Temple

The Romans made Herod's son Herod Archelaus ethnarch of Judea, Samaria, and Idumea ( biblical Edom ) from 4 BCE to 6 CE, referred to as the tetrarchy of Judea.

Herod's other son Herod Antipas was tetrarch of Galilee from 4 BCE – 39 CE.

" When he Augustus heard that among the boys in Syria under two years old whom Herod, king of the Jews, had ordered to kill, his own son was also killed, he said: it is better to be Herod's pig, than his son.

However, a public outcry was brewing among the London populace who saw a sinister irony in the parallels between the conviction of Fisher and that of his patronal namesake, Saint John the Baptist, who was executed by King Herod Antipas for challenging the validity of Herod's marriage to his brother's divorcée Herodias.

Just over half the wall, including its 17 courses located below street level, dates from the end of the Second Temple period, commonly believed to have been constructed around 19 BCE by Herod the Great, but recent excavations indicate that the works were not finished during Herod's lifetime.

This led to increasing tension between Hyrcanus and the family of Antipater, culminating in a trial of Herod for supposed abuses in his governorship, which resulted in Herod's flight into exile in 46 BCE.

Caiaphas brings Jesus before Pontius Pilate to be condemned to death, but after questioning Jesus, Pilate sends him instead to the court of Herod, as Jesus is from Herod's ruling town of Nazareth.

: But on Herod's birthday, the daughter of Herodias danced before them: and pleased Herod.

According to " Letter of Herod To Pilate the Governor ", Herod's daughter was playing in the pool with ice on the surface until it broke under and decapitated her, with Herod's wife holding her daughter's head.

* 19 BCE: Herod expands the Temple Mount and rebuilds the Temple ( Herod's Temple ), including the construction of the Western Wall.

It was only after they were executed ( c. 7 BCE ), and Herod's oldest son Antipater was convicted of trying to poison his father ( 5 BCE ), that the now elderly Herod fell back on his youngest son Antipas, revising his will to make him heir.

Upon Herod's death, the Romans divided up his kingdom between his sons, and Herod Antipas ruled Galilee but not Judea ( which became part of Iudaea province after Herod Archelaus was deposed in 6 CE ), while Jesus was still a boy.

* According to researcher Flavius Josephus, heredium was a name given to a costly citadel in memory of Herod's great actions, as Herod " adorned it with the most costly palaces, and erected very strong fortifications " ( The Genuine Works of Flavius Josephus, page 48 ).