Herod Archelaus in the context of "Judea (Roman province)"

⭐ In the context of Judea (Roman province), Herod Archelaus’s reign concluded with a significant administrative change. What event directly precipitated the relocation of the province’s capital from Jerusalem to Caesarea Maritima?




⭐ Core Definition: Herod Archelaus

Herod Archelaus (Ancient Greek: Ἡρῴδης Ἀρχέλαος, Hērōidēs Archelaos; 23 BC – c. AD 18) was the ethnarch of Samaria, Judea, and Idumea, including the cities Caesarea and Jaffa, for nine years (c. 4 BC to AD 6). He was the son of Herod the Great and Malthace the Samaritan, brother of Herod Antipas, and half-brother of Herod II. Archelaus (a name meaning "leading the people") came to power after the death of his father Herod the Great in 4 BC, and ruled over one-half of the territorial dominion of his father. Archelaus was removed by the Roman emperor Augustus when Judaea province was formed under direct Roman rule, at the time of the Census of Quirinius.

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👉 Herod Archelaus in the context of Judea (Roman province)

Judaea was a Roman province from 6 to 135 AD, which at its height encompassed the regions of Judea, Idumea, Peraea, Samaria, and Galilee, as well as parts of the coastal plain of the southern Levant. At its height, it encompassed much of the core territories of the former Kingdom of Judaea, which had been ruled by the Hasmonean and Herodian dynasties in previous decades. The name Judaea (like the similar Judea) derives from the Iron Age Kingdom of Judah, which was centered in the region of Judea.

Since the Roman Republic's conquest of Judaea in 63 BC, which abolished the independent Hasmonean monarchy, Rome maintained a system of semi-autonomous vassalage in the region. After Hasmonean ruler Antigonus II Mattathias briefly regained the throne, he was overthrown by Herod, who was appointed King of the Jews by the Roman Senate and ruled Judaea until his death in 4 BC. The province's formal incorporation into the Roman Empire was enacted by Augustus in 6 AD following an appeal by the populace against the misrule of Herod's son, Herod Archelaus (r. 4 BC – 6 Anno Domini Nostri). The administrative capital was relocated from Jerusalem to the coastal city of Caesarea Maritima.

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Herod Archelaus in the context of Herodian tetrarchy

The Herodian tetrarchy was a regional division of a client state of Rome, formed following the death of Herod the Great in 4 BCE. The client kingdom was divided between Herod's sister Salome I and his sons Herod Archelaus, Herod Antipas, and Philip. Upon the deposition of Herod Archelaus in 6 CE, his territories were transformed into a Roman province. With the death of Salome I in 10 CE, her domain was also incorporated into a province.

Other parts of the Herodian tetrarchy continued to function under Herodians. Philip ruled over territories north and east of the Jordan River until 34 CE. His domain was later incorporated into the Province of Syria. Herod Antipas ruled Galilee and Perea until 39 CE. The last notable Herodian ruler with some level of independence was King Herod Agrippa I. He was given the territory of Judea with its capital Jerusalem. With his death in 44 CE, the provincial status of Judea was restored for good.

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Herod Archelaus in the context of Herod Antipas

Herod Antipas (Ancient Greek: Ἡρῴδης Ἀντίπας, romanizedHērṓidēs Antípas; c. 20 BC – c. 39 AD) was a 1st-century Herodian ruler of Galilee and Perea. He bore the title of tetrarch ("ruler of a quarter") and is referred to as both "Herod the Tetrarch" and "King Herod" in the New Testament. He was a son of Herod the Great and a grandson of Antipater the Idumaean. He is widely known today for his role in the executions of John the Baptist and Jesus of Nazareth (Matthew 14:1–12, Luke 23:5–12).

Following the death of his father (4 BC in Schürer's 1890 publication, 1 BC according to Jack Finegan, W. E. Filmer, and Andrew Steinmann), Herod Antipas was recognized as tetrarch by Caesar Augustus and subsequently by his brother, the ethnarch Herod Archelaus. Antipas officially ruled Galilee and Perea as a client state of the Roman Empire. He was responsible for building projects at Sepphoris and Betharamphtha, and for the construction of his capital Tiberias on the western shore of the Sea of Galilee. Named in honour of his patron, the emperor Tiberius, the city later became a centre of rabbinic learning after the Jewish–Roman wars.

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Herod Archelaus in the context of Philip the Tetrarch

Philip the Tetrarch (c. 26 BCE – 34 CE), was the son of Herod the Great and his fifth wife, Cleopatra of Jerusalem. As a Tetrarch, he ruled over the northeast part of his father's kingdom between 4 BCE and 34 CE after Herod's death. He was a half-brother of Herod Antipas and Herod Archelaus. He is not the same person as Herod the Younger, whom some writers call Herod Philip I. To distinguish the two, he is called Herod Philip II by some writers (see "Naming convention").

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