Professor Helen Bond

As it happens though, one of the conspirators, Cassius, becomes governor of Syria, Roman governor of Syria, in 43, the next year.

According to Josephus, he bribes one of Hykenes' wine stewards so that during a banquet he puts poison in Antipater's wine.

Antipater drinks the poison and dies soon afterwards.

The death of his father is a huge moment for Herod.

Antipater has been the one to propel the family from a local aristocracy to really pretty much running the country.

Antipater was viceroy of the whole of Judea under Julius Caesar.

So he's had a massive amount of power.

He's very much been the leader, the leading light of the Herodian house.

So this is a huge moment for Herod.

The one, I think, that he is ready for and steps into the big shoes of his father.

Antigonus is the younger son of Aristobulus, who was the younger brother of Hykenus, between whom there was a civil war a few years earlier.

He's really the last remaining of the Hasmoneans, so the last hope, really, of a Hasmonean leader.

Antigonus wants to establish his claim on the Judean throne, and he does it by getting support from the Parthians.

A lot of local strongmen are very interested in joining this cause, partly because he's Hasmonean, perhaps too, because people aren't all that keen on Herod and his brother.

Antigonus marches on Jerusalem and he besieges it.

Herod and his brother Phasael are inside Jerusalem keeping things going there, but things aren't looking too good for them.

So Antigonus sends his friend and ally, a man called Pechorus, to them and says, we want to negotiate for peace.

But of course it is a trap, and he's imprisoned and held to ransom.

Later on, he actually kills himself when Antigonus becomes king of Judea.

But this leaves Herod on his own now, defending Jerusalem, and he realizes that it's hopeless.