Herod I or Herod the Great was a Roman Jewish client king of the Herodian Kingdom of Judea. He is known for his colossal building projects throughout Judea. Among these works are the rebuilding of the Second Temple in Jerusalem and the expansion of its base—the Western Wall being part of it. Vital details of his life are recorded in the works of the 1st century CE Roman–Jewish historian Josephus.
Herod's Temple as depicted on the Holyland Model of Jerusalem. The expansion of the Temple was Herod's most ambitious project.
Distinctive Herodian masonry at the Western Wall in Jerusalem
Massacre of the Innocents, 10th century depiction. Herod on the left.
Aerial photo of Herodium from the southwest
History of the Jews in the Roman Empire
The history of the Jews in the Roman Empire traces the interaction of Jews and Romans during the period of the Roman Empire. A Jewish diaspora had migrated to Rome and to the territories of Roman Europe from the land of Israel, Anatolia, Babylon and Alexandria in response to economic hardship and incessant warfare over the land of Israel between the Ptolemaic and Seleucid empires from the 4th to the 1st centuries BCE. In Rome, Jewish communities thrived economically. Jews became a significant part of the Roman Empire's population in the first century CE, with some estimates as high as 7 million people; however, this estimation has been questioned.
Image of Joshua from the 3rd-century wall paintings at the synagogue of Dura-Europos
Siege and destruction of Jerusalem by the Romans, painted c. 1504
Detail of a menorah relief on a column, Ostia Synagogue, 1st century
Jewish ritual objects depicted in 2nd century gold glass from Rome
