Erode il Grande e la politica augustea in Oriente

The multi-faceted figure of Herod the Great, king of Judaea, is undoubtedly central to the realisation of Augustan policies in the Eastern Mediterranean. In Judaea, the introduction of spectacles and games – and of structures related to them – was a clear sign of Herod’s desire to draw his kingdom closer to the Greco-Roman world. However, Herod did not passively accept Western cultural models. On the contrary, he was able to innovate and modify these structures. This article aims to analyse the buildings Herod created, in order to understand the cultural and political goals of the king.