Herod the Builder

Around this time, Caesaria Sebaste, which Herod had been in the process of building, was finished. The entire building project was completed by the tenth year, its allotted time being extended to the twenty-eighth year of Herod’s reign, which fell on the hundred and ninety-second Olympiad. A great festival was planned, and the most lavish preparations were immediately made for the city’s dedication, for he had announced that there would be a musical competition and gymnastic contests. He also prepared a large number of gladiators, wild beasts, horse races, and the most extravagant of such sports and shows as used to be exhibited at Rome and in other places. He arranged for these contests to take place every fifth year, and he dedicated them to Caesar, who sent all sorts of equipment for the event from his own revenue so that it would lack nothing. Caesar’s wife Julia sent a large portion of her most valuable equipment [from Rome], so that the total value was estimated at no less than five hundred talents. When a vast multitude had gathered in the city to see the shows, including the envoys sent by other people on account of the benefits they had received from Herod, he entertained them all with public lodging, meals, and continuous feasts. The festivals offered the diversion of the fights during the day and festive gatherings costing large sums of money at night, publicly demonstrating Herod’s generosity, for in all his undertakings, he was ambitious to surpass what had been done before. It is reported that Caesar and Agrippa often said that Herod’s dominion was no match for his largesse, for he deserved to possess the whole kingdom of Syria as well as Egypt.

After this festival and the celebrations were over, Herod built another city in the plain called Capharsaba, where he selected a place both well watered and exceptionally fertile, with both a river flowing around the city itself and a grove surrounding it, which was very beautiful because of the size of its trees. He named this city Antipatris after his father, Antipater. Above Jericho, he built a highly fortified place that was very pleasant to stay at and named it Cypros after his mother. He also dedicated the finest monuments to his brother Phasael on account of the great affection there had been between them, erecting a tower as big as Pharos that was both part of the strong defenses of the city and a memorial to his deceased brother, as it bore his name. He also built a city of the same name further north in the valley of Jericho, whereby he made the surrounding country more fruitful through the diligent cultivation its inhabitants introduced.

As for his other acts of benevolence, which he bestowed on cities in both Syria and Greece and whatever places he frequented while traveling abroad, it would be nearly impossible to mention them all. He is reported to have contributed abundantly to both civic functions and the construction of public works and given the necessary funds to support the completion of earlier works whose construction had ceased. Now for the greatest and most illustrious of his projects: he erected Apollo’s temple for the people of Rhodes at his own expense and gave them many talents of silver to repair their fleet. And for the inhabitants of Nicropolis, founded by Caesar near Actium, he helped build most of their public buildings. For the inhabitants of Antioch, the principal city in Syria, which has a broad street cutting through it lengthwise, he built colonnades along both sides of the street and paved the open road with polished stone, which contributed significantly to the beauty of the city and was very advantageous to its inhabitants.

As for the Olympic Games, which had greatly deteriorated due to a lack of funding, he restored their reputation and allocated funds for their maintenance, and he made that solemn festival more respectable in terms of sacrifices and other ceremonies. Because of this great magnanimity, he was recognized by the inhabitants of Elis as one of the perpetual directors of those games.