MARIAMNE. - Daughter of Alexander Asmoneus and of Alexandra, daughter of Hyrcanus II. She was married by Herod the Great (v.) in 37 B.C. in Samaria. The very beautiful woman, who in nobility of origin and of character far surpassed her husband, had a tragic existence in a court full of intrigues.

Herod loved her tenderly; out of a bestial jealousy, twice he gave orders that, should some misfortune befall him — when summoned by Antony to Laodicea (34 B.C.) or when he had gone to Rhodes to implore the favor of Octavian (30 B.C.) — M. should be put to death together with her mother. Both times the secret order was revealed to the woman concerned. For this reason Herod at once killed the two guardians (his uncle Joseph and the Ituraean Soemus), suspected of an intrigue with M. After the event of 30 B.C., incited by his sister Salome, he also killed M. (29 B.C.). Herod wept much over this death, but shortly afterward he also put to death Alexandra, Alexander and Aristobulus, the mother and brothers of M. Flavius Josephus presents a very sympathetic picture of her, but calls her "unaccommodating" and "punctilious" (Antiq. Iud., XV, 237).

Bibliography2 works

BIBL.: E. Schürer, Geschichte des jüdischen Volkes, I, 4th ed., Leipzig 1901, p. 358 ff.; G. Ricciotti, Storia d'Israele, II, 3rd ed., Turin 1938, p. 370 ff.

Angelo Penna

@incollection{ec8_mariamme, author = {Penna, Angelo}, title = {Mariamme}, booktitle = {Enciclopedia Cattolica}, volume = {VIII}, pages = {145}, note = {Cited by column}, publisher = {Ente per l’Enciclopedia Cattolica e per il Libro Cattolico}, address = {Città del Vaticano}, year = {1952}, url = {https://azioneromana.com/article/mariamme} }

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Mariamne

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