Aristobulus of Chalcis

Aristobulus of Chalcis (Greek: Ἀριστόβουλος) was a son of Herod of Chalcis and his first wife Mariamne. Herod of Chalcis, ruler of Chalcis in Iturea, was a grandson of Herod the Great through his father, Aristobulus IV. Mariamne was a granddaughter of Herod the Great through her mother, Olympias; hence Aristobulus was a great-grandson of Herod the Great on both sides of his family.

Aristobulus of Chalcis
King of Lesser Armenia
Reign	55 - 72
Died	92 AD
Spouse	Salome
Issue	Herod Agrippa Aristobulus
Dynasty	Herodian dynasty
Father	Herod of Chalcis
Mother	Mariamne

Life

Aristobulus was married to Salome after the death of her first husband, Philip the Tetrarch. With her Aristobulus had three sons: Herod, Agrippa, and Aristobulus[1] Three coins with portraits of him and Salome have been found.

Aristobulus did not directly succeed his father as ruler of the Chalcis. Rather, upon his father's death in 48 AD, the emperor Claudius gave the realm to Aristobulus' first cousin, Herod Agrippa II. When in 53 AD Agrippa was given the territories previously governed by Philip the Tetrarch (also known as Herod Philip II) and Lysanias, Aristobulus was subsequently given Chalcis in 57 AD.[2] He reigned Chalcis until his death in 92 AD, when the territory became part of the Roman province Syria.

He has been identified with the Aristobulus appointed by Nero as King of Armenia Minor in 55 AD, who participated with his forces in the Roman–Parthian War of 58–63, receiving a small portion of Greater Armenia in exchange.[3] This Aristobulus was displaced from Armenia Minor in 72 AD, but is thought to be the "Aristobulus of Chalcidice" who supported Lucius Caesennius Paetus, proconsul of Syria, in the war against Antiochus of Commagene in 73 AD,[2] and was in consequence compensated with a new kingdom, "probably Chalcis ad Belum" (modern Qinnasrin, in northern Syria.[4] Assuming all these Aristobuli were indeed the same person, he would seem to have been ruler, at various times, of the Iturean Chalcis, Armenia Minor, and Chalcis ad Belum.

Family tree of the Herodian dynasty

Antipater the Idumaean procurator of Judea

1.Doris 2.Mariamne I 3.Mariamne II 4.Malthace

Herod I the Great king of Judea

5.Cleopatra of Jerusalem 6.Pallas 7.Phaidra 8.Elpis

Phasael governor of Jerusalem

(1) Antipater heir of Judaea

(2) Alexander I prince of Judea

(2) Aristobulus IV prince of Judea

(3) Herod II Philip prince of Judea

(4) Herod Archelaus ethnarch of Judea, Idumea

(4) Herod Antipas tetrarch of Galilea & Perea

(5) Philip the Tetrarch of Iturea & Trachonitis

Tigranes V of Armenia

Alexander II prince of Judea

Herod Agrippa I king of Judea

Herod V ruler of Chalcis

Aristobulus Minor prince of Judea

Tigranes VI of Armenia

Herod Agrippa II king of Judea

Aristobulus ruler of Chalcis

Gaius Julius Alexander ruler of Cilicia

Gaius Julius Agrippa quaestor of Asia

Gaius Julius Alexander Berenicianus proconsul of Asia

Lucius Julius Gainius Fabius Agrippa gymnasiarch

See also

• Herodian dynasty
• Herodian kingdom
• List of Hasmonean and Herodian rulers

References

1. Josephus, Jewish Antiquities, XVIII.5.4
2. William Smith, Dictionary of Greek and Roman Biography and Mythology, pp. 301-302 Archived October 10, 2012, at the Wayback Machine
3. Tacitus, Annals, XIII.7; XIV.26
4. Schwartz, Seth. "Herodians after 70", Josephus and Judaean Politics, Brill, 1990 ISBN 9789004092303

Further reading

• Gillman, Florence Morgan. Herodias: At Home in that Fox's Den, Liturgical Press, 2003 ISBN 9780814651087