Herod finally arrived at Masada and even though the fortress had proved that it could withstand almost anything that besieging forces could throw at it, Herod decided to move the occupants to Samaria. He wanted to be near Mariamne and with wedding bells ringing in his head, Samaria would offer him the necessary infrastructure to wed the princess if the opportunity arose.
Finally, he laid siege against Jerusalem. However, everything didn't go the way he planned. The accuracy of the defending Jewish archers were instrumental in keeping Herod's armies at bay. Winter had set in, freezing temperatures and snow not only hindered the attack, but brought it to a standstill.
Herod was frustrated by the delay. He had envisaged a speedy victory. His original plan was to enter triumphantly into Jerusalem and, to distract the people from the rigors of war, announce his marriage to the Jewish princess. This would hopefully be a time of feasting and celebration. But atlas, this was not to be. Not knowing how long the siege would still continue, he shocked everyone by the announcement that he would not wait any longer and that he would marry Mariamne while they still abided in Samaria. This he promptly did.
This waiting period actually played in Herod's favour. Inside Jerusalem provisions were low. Basically famine conditions existed, worsened by the fact that it was the sabbatical year shavi'it, the seventh year in a seven year agricultural cycle whereby the ground was rested. No ploughing or planting of crops was allowed.
With the coming of spring, Marc Anthony sent the Roman General, Gaius Sosius with his army to assist Herod. Travelling with such a large army was slow so Sosius despatched two auxiliary legions, made up mainly of Syrian soldiers to forge ahead. This decision was of great significance. These Syrian legionaires were cunning and ruthless. Aided by Herod's engineers who built assault towers, the outer wall nearest the temple was finally breached. It took only 15 more days, and the arrival of Sosius and the main army to breach the inner wall. The Syrian soldiers were in destruction mode. They killed everyone in their path, soldiers and civilians. They destroyed property, burning houses suspected of harbouring fugitives. Finally they broke through the temple walls, killing priests and looting and destroying priceless artifacts.
Herod was horrified. This was the city he wanted to rule. At this rate nothing would be left. He complained to Sosius saying he should restrain his soldiers otherwise he(Herod) would be left 'king of the desert'. The plundering continued. Eventually, Herod taking from his own fortune, personally went to Sosius and his soldiers offering them payment if they would please leave Jerusalem. The soldiers accepted the offer. Sosius and his army retreated.
Sosius had captured Antigonus and was taking him to Marc Anthony in Antioch. Herod was worried. What if Antigonus reached Rome and was allowed to present his case before the Senate. Worst still what if he persuaded the Senate that his Hasmonean bloodline made him indeed, a more fitting candidate to be king of the Jews than Herod's claim to the throne. With these thoughts running rampant in his mind, he despatched a large chest and a letter via Sosius, to Marc Anthony.
When Marc Anthony received the chest, he found it to be full of money. The letter therein was a plea from Herod, that as a friend, would he consider ending Antigonus's life immediately. The chest full of coin was a gift if he should consider this proposal. Herod stated that he had fought too long and too hard to defeat Antigonus to have him, perchance, escape en route to Rome. Marc Anthony, having no love for the Jewish leader, easily and without objection, complied with Herod's request. Antigonus was executed the following day.
There followed about eight years of prosperity. Herod was ruthless in quelling any uprisings or rebel activities. Any threat to his rule was immediately obliterated. However, due to Herod's shrewd business acumen trade flourished. Concessions were made, tax relief was instituted. The Jewish businessmen and traders were happy. Herod built himself a new palace, which he named Herodium. In his search for a suitable site for his palace, Herod decided on a truncated-cone-shaped hill, situated 12 kilometres South of Jerusalem. Unfortunately it wasn't the highest spot in and around Jerusalem. Herod wanted the building to overlook Jerusalem and the desert so he made use of jewish slave labour to bring in tons of earth from the surrounding area and only when the hill had the highest elevation of the surrounding mounds, did the builders start building.
Disgruntled with the cold winters, Mariamne persuaded Herod to build a palace at the oasis of Jericho, about 25km east of Jerusalem. Here in the Jordan valley it was warm and pleasant in winter. This was where the Hasmonean ruling families had wintered for many years and Mariamne had played as a young girl.
Herod tried hard to win the support of the Jewish people. His renovations of the temple amounted to nearly a complete rebuild. One of the main problems he faced was the influx of pilgrims during the festivals of Passover, Pentecost and Tabernacles. During these main festivals the normal population of between 100 to 200 thousand increased to a million people. To accommodate the needs of the pilgrims, Herod built a great plaza around the temple where amongst other things, money could be changed, coins with Caesar's head stamped on them were not accepted in the temple. Food was sold, accommodation was offered and ritual baths were provided. To construct a plaza of this magnitude, Herod had to build walls, 5 metres thick around Mount Moria and fill it in. When he started work on the temple, he had a workforce of over 10,000 men and 1,500 priests who worked on the innermost parts of the Temple. The completed temple was awe-inspiring to say the least.
Furthermore, he used the site of the old seaside village, Stratonos pyrgos, to build, what would become a thriving coastal port, Caesarea Maritima. His use of cement, that dried under water, to build a long breakwater, was a technique unheard of at that time. The resulting harbour, offering safe anchorage for local and visiting ships, made importing and exporting, not only possible but added greatly to the wealth of the region. Herod named the port after Caesar Augustus. The shortage of fresh water, as the town grew and to supply the visiting ships, was overcome by Herod who designed and built a raised aquaduct that delivered fresh water from springs 16 kilometers inland.
Herod was plagued by thoughts that Jewish rebels would try and overthrow him, so he built a series of forts, one day's ride apart, all the way to his masterpiece, Masada.
