**ALEXANDRA SALOME** – Hasmonean queen, born in 140, died in 67 BC. She was the wife of Aristobulus I (q.v.); upon his death in 103 BC without issue, A. conferred the high priesthood and royal dignity upon Alexander Jannaeus, the eldest of her three brothers-in-law. She became his wife and bore him the sons Hyrcanus and Aristobulus. In 76 BC, Alexander died and left her a kingdom in turmoil due to the fierce persecution he had unleashed against the Pharisees. A., following her husband’s advice, came to terms with the powerful party that dominated during the years of her reign (76–67 BC). She granted the high priesthood to Hyrcanus, a weak and incapable man, disregarding the bold Aristobulus, who joined the Sadducean opposition. During a serious illness of the queen, Aristobulus attempted a coup. A. died at the age of 73, confessing to her adherents her inability to stem the new and menacing tide. The Pharisees regarded A. as the ideal sovereign. Yet, with her death and the civil strife between her two sons, the decline of the Hasmonean dynasty began.
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