What is it about?
The Jewish historian of Antiquity, Josephus, tells us that King Herod the Great had a total of ten wives! Nevertheless, only two of Herod’s wives receive a somewhat detailed description in Josephus’s works: Doris, his first wife, and Mariamme, his second. Doris’s life is briefly depicted while Mariamme’s life and especially her death is described in depth. The two women appear to be polar opposites ̶ Mariamme is a beautiful woman from the royal Hasmonean family while Doris, Herod’s first wife, has no particular physical attribute and lacks any royal or priestly lineage. Yet, despite her apparent inferiority to Mariamme, Doris managed to survive banishment and divorce, remarriage and again banishment for some 40 years, while Mariamme was executed by Herod after 10 years of marriage. How and why did Doris, who appears to be an ordinary upper-class woman, survive while Mariamme, who was descended from royalty, did not? This article will offer some explanations for this puzzle.
Featured Image
Photo by Sarah Penney on Unsplash
Why is it important?
Up until now, there has been no study comparing the two wives of King Herod - Doris and Mariamme.
Perspectives
Despite the dramatic increase in the past 20 years, nevertheless, I believe that there is a need for more serious research on the topic of Women in Antiquity. I hope that this publication will contribute to filling in this lacuna.
Dr. Etka Liebowitz
Schechter Institute of Jewish Studies
Read the Original
This page is a summary of: Doris and Mariamme: The Remarkable Lives of Two of Herod’s Many Wives, July 2024, De Gruyter,
DOI: 10.1163/9789004685567_015.
You can read the full text:
Contributors
The following have contributed to this page
