ABSTRACT
For a century and a half, Herod’s family was known to Rome’s elite, beginning when Pompey intervened directly in Judean affairs (65–63 bce) using two rival royal brothers’ civil war as pretext. Herod’s father, Antipater, helped Hyrcanus, one of the brothers, win the struggle through military and negotiating skills; he supported Gabinius’s foray into Egypt and advised him on affairs in the region, securing in Rome a favorable reputation and in Judea a dominant military and political role.
