Tristan Hughes

In the meantime, his brother, Phazeol, had died in Antigonus' captivity.

There would be no negotiations.

Civil war beckoned.

The war between Herod and Antigonus was fierce and it wasn't without personal loss.

Although Herod successfully rescued his family from Masada, Joseph, one of his younger brothers, was ambushed and killed fighting for Herod.

Nevertheless, despite bribes, betrayals and a brother's demise, Herod and his Roman allies slowly made progress.

Cities were conquered, regions were subdued, and the Parthians were repelled.

Finally, their forces marched on the ultimate prize, Antigonus' capital, Jerusalem.

With more than 30,000 soldiers at his disposal, including 11 Roman legions, Herod's forces laid siege to Jerusalem.

They created great siege engines to assault the city's walls and tunnels to undermine them.

Despite being vastly outnumbered, Antigonus' men repelled these assaults for more than a month.

But finally, Herod's Roman juggernaut prevailed.

They took the walls and stormed the city, slaughtering everyone they met as the Romans rampaged through Jerusalem's narrow streets.

Defeated, Antigonus surrendered to the Romans and was imprisoned.

But Herod had other ideas.

Paying Mark Antony a large sum of money, Herod persuaded him to have Antigonus executed.

Antigonus' death marked the end of the Hasmonean dynasty and the beginning of the Herodian dynasty.

Herod had won.

Through blood and battle, family tragedies and foreign support, Herod had risen to become king of Judea.

In the past, he had been overshadowed by the likes of his father and older brother, but now he ruled supreme power.