Herod (; ,
Hordos,
Greek: ,
Herodes; 74/73 BCE – 4 BCE), also known as
Herod the Great and
Herod I, was a
Roman client king of
Judea, referred to as the
Herodian kingdom. He has been described as "a madman who murdered his own family and a great many
rabbis", "the evil genius of the Judean nation", "prepared to commit any crime in order to gratify his unbounded ambition", and "the greatest builder in Jewish history". He is known for his colossal building projects throughout Judea, including his expansion of the
Second Temple in
Jerusalem (
Herod's Temple), the construction of the port at
Caesarea Maritima, the fortress at
Masada and
Herodium.