Herod the Great and the Power of Image: Political Self-Presentation in the Herodian Dynasty

Adam Kolman Marshak
(Graduate Student)
Yale University, New Haven, CT. In progress; Expected date of completion: 2006.
Advisor: John J. Collins, Diana E.E. Kleiner, John F. Matth

Abstract:

Ruling at the crossroads of three cultures (Hellenistic East, Judaean and Roman), Herod the Great walked a fine cultural line and incorporated aspects of each of these three worlds into his political self-presentation. In order to legitimate and solidify his rule, he drew on images and ideas from his Seleucid and Hasmonean predecessors. He also integrated himself fully into the system of client kingship that thrived in the early Principate and utilized Antonian and Augustan motifs to highlight his special relationship to Rome and its leaders. Throughout his reign, he depicted himself simultaneously as good Hellenistic monarch, Jewish king and Roman ally. He consciously inserted himself into his political milieu and strongly laid claim to legitimate succession, while keeping his three major audiences, Greek, Jew and Roman, in mind. The result of this conscious depiction was that Herod was able to persuade enough people with political agency that he was an effective king, and thus he managed to reign for more than thirty years and pass on his kingdom to his chosen successors. Herod’s usurpation of the Hasmonean throne was certainly viewed negatively by a significant fraction of the Judaean populace. However, his reign was quite long and generally stable, and these facts require further explanation, especially given the turbulence of the region at that time. Previous studies have focused too heavily on Herod’s oppression and repression. This oppression and repression cannot be the sole explanation for Herod’s longevity, because his son Archelaus was just as oppressive as his father, and Archelaus was removed from power only nine years into his reign. This study offers another explanation for Herod’s success, namely that through his political self-presentation, Herod tapped into the cultural mindset of his subjects, neighbors and Roman allies, and persuaded a sufficient number of them that he was an effective if not benevolent king.