Women and the Herodian Dynasty

The mention of Herodian women often brings to mind the infamous daughter of Herodias, who, according to the New Testament Gospels, requested from Herod II, at her mother’s directive, the head of John the Baptist as reward for her dancing skills (Mark 6:24–25). Yet this story is merely one of several engaging narratives involving women in the courts of Herod the Great and his successors. Most of our information concerning these women comes from Josephus, who in turn is thought to have relied on Nicholas of Damascus, Herod’s court historian, while likely using other lost sources and adding his own rhetorical, polemical, and stylistic touches. Josephus’ reliance on Nicholas of Damascus, however, and his occasional criticisms of Nicholas (Jewish Antiquities 16.183–186) point to complex issues concerning ancient historical appropriation of sources and the historian’s rhetorical intent. The degree to which Josephus incorporated and reshaped the work of Nicholas in his accounts of Herodian women in particular remains far from settled within the field of Josephus studies.

Josephus’ accounts of the Herodian women, like much of his historical work, are influenced by Greek historiographical traditions and leave us uncertain of where the borders lie between literary license and historical reality. Of particular interest in these stories are the dual representations of women as, on the one hand, strong-willed, independent thinkers and actors within the royal family and, on the other hand, troublemakers who threaten domestic and political order. For example, Josephus recounts Alexandra’s ability to engage in diplomacy and advocate for her children, yet he also attributes to her what he believes to be uniquely female manners of thinking, habits that both disrupt state affairs and contribute to her ultimate demise. Similarly, Josephus attributes to Herod’s wife Mariamme excellence in both mind and beauty, but at the same time he criticizes her quarrelsome nature and boldness in speaking within the royal court. Josephus rarely tires of emphasizing the stranglehold Mariamme exerts over Herod’s emotions, ensnaring Herod in a constant battle between unrestrained love and venomous hate. In the case of Herod’s sister, Salome I, the reader witnesses her consistent participation in family factionalism and court intrigue, yet her perseverance in the face of multiple enemies cannot fail to impress. However one interprets Josephus’ representations of this group of women, the narratives capture an important moment in the male construction of female experience among the Judean privileged class, specifically with respect to Judaea’s most influential royal house during the late Second Temple period.