Malatha in Josephus and the Tel Malhata/Tel El-Milh Site: Herodian Era Archaeology: Agrippa I, #3

By Elizabeth Legge

In this illuminating chapter, Elizabeth Legge meticulously reconstructs the historical context surrounding Herod I and Agrippa I. From the echoes of Hellenistic influence to the intricate tapestry of Roman Judaea, Legge guides readers through pivotal events, personalities, and the development of the relationship between the Julio-Claudians and the Herodian Dynasty, leading to the rise of Agrippa I.

 

First published by the University of Pisa, this self-published edition invites you to step into the annals of history.

• Language: English
• Publisher: Elizabeth Legge
• Release date: May 15, 2024
• ISBN: 9798224224845

Elizabeth Legge

Elizabeth Legge is a Doctor of Medicine candidate at a European university. She achieved her Master’s degree in Classical Archaeology at the University of Pisa, Italy. She was awarded her Bachelor of Arts in Classical Studies and Bachelor of Sciences in Integrated Sciences at the University of British Columbia, Canada. She has travelled extensively to all continents since childhood and lived in many countries. She is Australian, Canadian and half English.

Book preview

CHAPTER 2:

MALATHA IN JOSEPHUS AND THE TEL MALHATA/TEL EL-MILH SITE

2.1 Introduction

As mentioned by Curran [14], the scholarly tendency has been to interpret Josephus’ account of Agrippa’s life as one of profligacy in Rome, leading to the loss of his fortune, and then his achieving the powerful career Rome might have always had in mind for him had he only behaved more responsibly.  However, the thesis notes that Agrippa seems to have always been ambitious but had, unlike Herod I and Antipater I, lacked training from his father in this regard, and also lost his male patron, Drusus and found his ambitions thwarted, after which he was forced to flee to Palestine which he may not have seen since very early childhood.  His arrival in the Negev as a fugitive from Rome is followed by a rapid change in his approach and his achievement of his career.  The archaeological record is able to throw some light on the area in Palestine where Agrippa I is believed to have stayed when he first fled Italy.  This might reveal information on the level of seclusion of the area, the effect this isolation might have had on Agrippa, and how the abrupt lifestyle change might have helped motivate him to alter his approach towards achieving his career.

2.2 Agrippa’s flight to the Negev and Tel Malhata

The official account provided in Josephus’s Antiquities [18.6] regarding Agrippa I’s flight from Rome to Malatha when he was pursued by creditors.  While he certainly seems to have accumulated debts and creditors in Rome, this may not have been the complete reason for his flight, which could have had a political element.  He had been spending his possibly relatively limited inheritance after his mother, Berenice, and his friend, Drusus, died, on numerous gifts to freedmen and perhaps other networking activities in order to try to further his career, this had been