Salome I

Who is Salome I?

Salome I was the sister of Herod the Great and the mother of Berenice by her husband Costobarus, governor of Idumea.

Upon the death of Herod the Great in 4 BCE, she was given a toparchy including the cities of Jabneh, Ashdod, Phasaelis, and 5000 drachmae. The Roman emperor Augustus supplemented this with a royal habitation at Ashkelon. While nominally queen of these areas, they were ultimately subject to the Judaean prefect.

Berenice's children were Herodias, Herod Agrippa I, king of Judea, Herod of Chalcis and Aristobulus Minor, and Mariamne III.