Herod the Great

Herod the Great was a Roman-appointed king of Judea from 37 BC to 4 BC, known for his ambitious construction projects, including the expansion of the Second Temple in Jerusalem. He was a skilled politician who maintained power through alliances and brutal tactics, including the infamous massacre of infants in Bethlehem, as described in the Christian Bible. Herod's reign was marked by economic development but also by paranoia and cruelty, leading to tensions with the Jewish population. His legacy is complex, remembered for both his remarkable achievements and tyrannical rule.