Herod the Great

Herod (הוֹרְדוֹס, Hordos, Greek: , Hērōdēs), also known as Herod I or Herod the Great (born 74 BC, died 4 BC in Jericho, according to other data, 1 BC), was a Jewish Roman client king of Israel. He was described as "a madman who murdered his own family and a great many rabbis." He is also known for his colossal building projects in Jerusalem and other parts of the ancient world, including the rebuilding of the Second Temple in Jerusalem, sometimes referred to as Herod's Temple. Some details of his biography can be gleaned from the works of the 1st century AD Roman-Jewish historian Josephus Flavius.