Herod and His Sons

The Greek geographer and historian Strabo provides a brief account of Herod’s reign and the struggle for succession that followed. He describes Herod as a skilled statesman but writes that his sons were not as successful as their father at maintaining political stability in Judaea, despite their good relations with Rome.

Strabo erroneously states that Herod’s father was also named Herod and that he was appointed high priest by Pompey. In fact, Herod’s father was Antipater I, and it was Antipater’s ally Hyrcanus who was appointed high priest.