Salome I () was the sister of

Herod the Great Herod I or Herod the Great () was a History of the Jews in the Roman Empire, Roman Jewish client king of the Herodian kingdom of Judea. He is known for his colossal building projects throughout Judea. Among these works are the rebuilding of the ...

and the mother of Berenice by her husband Costobarus, governor of

Idumea Edom (; Edomite: ; , lit.: "red"; Akkadian: , ; Ancient Egyptian: ) was an ancient kingdom that stretched across areas in the south of present-day Jordan and Israel. Edom and the Edomites appear in several written sources relating to the ...

. She was a nominal queen regnant of the toparchy of Iamnia, Azotus, Phasaelis from 4 BCE.

Life

Salome first married , uncle of Herod the Great; she accused Joseph of familiarities with Mariamne I, wife of Herod, and thus procured his death.Salome
entry in The Cyclopedia of Biblical, Theological and Ecclesiastical Literature by James Strong and John McClintock She had three children by her second husband Costobarus, Antipater IV (who married Cypros II, Herod's daughter by Mariamne), Berenice (who married first

Aristobulus IV Aristobulus IV (31–7 BC) was a prince of Judea from the Herodian dynasty, and was married to his cousin, Berenice (daughter of Salome), Berenice, daughter of Costobarus and Salome I. He was the son of Herod the Great and his second wife, Mariamn ...

, Herod's son by the same mother, and second Theudion, brother of Herod's first wife Doris) and a daughter whose name is not known (who married Alexas' son Alexas, the Temple Treasurer). Like her more famous granddaughter (and grandniece)

Herodias Herodias (; , ''Hērōidiás''; c. 15 BC – after AD 39) was a princess of the Herodian dynasty of Judea, Judaea during the time of the Roman Empire. Christian writings connect her with the Beheading of John the Baptist, execution of John the Ba ...

, she divorced her husband in contravention of what

Josephus Flavius Josephus (; , ; ), born Yosef ben Mattityahu (), was a Roman–Jewish historian and military leader. Best known for writing '' The Jewish War'', he was born in Jerusalem—then part of the Roman province of Judea—to a father of pr ...

(''Jewish Antiquities'' 15.7.10) says were Jewish laws at the time:

But some time afterward, when Salome happened to quarrel with Costobarus, she sent him a bill of divorce and dissolved her marriage with him, though this was not according to the Jewish laws; for with us it is lawful for a husband to do so; but a wife, if she departs from her husband, cannot of herself be married to another, unless her former husband put her away. However, Salome chose to follow not the law of her country, but the law of her authority, and so renounced her wedlock...

After this she accused him of treason against Herod, who put him to death. Salome's third husband was . Berenice's children were

, Herod Agrippa I, king of Judea, Herod of Chalcis and Aristobulus Minor, and Mariamne III (who may have been the first wife of her uncle,

Herod Archelaus Herod Archelaus (, ''Hērōidēs Archelaos''; 23 BC – ) was the ethnarch of Samaria, Judea, and Idumea, including the cities Caesarea Maritima, Caesarea and Jaffa, for nine years (). He was the son of Herod the Great and Malthace the ...

, ethnarch of

Judea Judea or Judaea (; ; , ; ) is a mountainous region of the Levant. Traditionally dominated by the city of Jerusalem, it is now part of Palestine and Israel. The name's usage is historic, having been used in antiquity and still into the pres ...

). Salome I played a major background role in the court intrigues that plagued the royal family. She led Herod to execute his wife Mariamne I and their two sons. She encouraged Herod to favor his first son

Antipater III Antipater II (; c. 46 – 4 BC) was Herod the Great's first-born son, his only child by his first wife Doris. He was named after his paternal grandfather Antipater the Idumaean. He and his mother were exiled after Herod divorced her between 43 B ...

. She disobeyed Herod's last command to execute the Judean elders he had detained as soon as he died. Upon the death of Herod the Great in 4 BCE, she was given a toparchy including the cities of Iamnia, Azotus, Phasaelis, and 5000 drachmae. The Roman emperor

Augustus Gaius Julius Caesar Augustus (born Gaius Octavius; 23 September 63 BC – 19 August AD 14), also known as Octavian (), was the founder of the Roman Empire, who reigned as the first Roman emperor from 27 BC until his death in A ...

supplemented this with a royal habitation at

Ascalon Ascalon or Ashkelon was an ancient Near East port city on the Mediterranean coast of the southern Levant of high historical and archaeological significance. Its remains are located in the archaeological site of Tel Ashkelon, within the city limi ...

. While nominally queen of these areas, they were ultimately subject to the Judaean prefect. After Salome's death, Iamnia fell to

Livia Livia Drusilla (30 January 59 BC AD 29) was List of Roman and Byzantine empresses, Roman empress from 27 BC to AD 14 as the wife of Augustus, the first Roman emperor. She was known as Julia Augusta after her formal Adoption ...

, the Roman empress, and then to her son

Tiberius Tiberius Julius Caesar Augustus ( ; 16 November 42 BC – 16 March AD 37) was Roman emperor from AD 14 until 37. He succeeded his stepfather Augustus, the first Roman emperor. Tiberius was born in Rome in 42 BC to Roman politician Tiberius Cl ...

.Jewish Virtual Library. ''Jabneh''
/ref>

References

External links

Salome I
entry in historical sourcebook by Mahlon H. Smith * Hananya Hizmi
The Toparchy of Salome, Sister of King Herod, and its Towns: Archelais, Phasaelis, and Livias
{{DEFAULTSORT:Salome 01 60s BC births 10s deaths Herodian dynasty 1st-century BC Herodian rulers 1st-century Herodian rulers 1st-century BC queens regnant 1st-century queens regnant 1st-century BCE Jews 1st-century Jews 1st-century people Ancient Jewish women Year of birth uncertain Year of death uncertain

Life

See also

References

External links