There are more ways than ever to listen to History Daily ad-free. Listen with Wondry Plus in the Wondry app. As a member of Nois fortress at Masada, a rocky plateau high above the Judean desert.

King Herod, a large bearded man in his mid-30s, strides around deep foundations

that will one day support two great palaces overlooking the Dead Sea. Herod is flanked by

Roman guards, there to protect him from the slaves carrying out the construction work. For the past

two years, King Herod has been the ruler of Judea, a mountainous vassal state of the Roman Empire.

But his position is not a birthright. Herod was appointed as King of the Jews by the Roman Senate.

He's been tasked with keeping order over the Jewish people from Jerusalem, the capital of Judea, some 60 miles north of Masada.

Herod has taken to his new position with a brutal glee, inflicting high taxes on his

people and killing any who defied him.

But his own actions have made Herod paranoid.

Knowing how the people of Judea despise him, Herod has made plans to keep himself and his family safe. He's rebuilding an ancient

mountaintop fortification at Masada and turning it into an impenetrable stronghold. The summer sun

beats down on the king's head and the wind whips across the open plateau. As Herod watches his people

work, an enslaved man dares to glance up at the

king. At once, one of the guards removes a whip from his belt and cracks it across the man's

shoulders. A struck slave falls to his knees in agony. A child, barely ten, runs up to comfort him.

It's the enslaved man's son, who glares at Herod with

undisguised hatred. Herod smiles and nods to the guard to whip the man again. But before

the order can be carried out, the little boy flies at the king and starts beating his fists against

Herod's legs. The boy's swings break like waves against a mighty cliff. Herod turns to his

guards and laughs. Then he picks the boy up off the ground, watching as his small arms and legs flail.

With giant strides, Herod walks toward the edge of the plateau with a child held aloft.

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