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BANDITS IN THE ROMAN EMPIRE
The last years of Herod’s rule were overshadowed by continual conflict between
the king and his two sons by Mariamne, Alexander and Aristoboulos. 63
The background to this is important here only insofar as it concerns strife
among rival heirs by different marriages of their father for recognition and
succession. Such family discord illustrates the tragic internal division of
many ruling houses.
As it turned out, even the emperor Augustus was called upon as mediator.
He had got to know Alexander and Aristoboulos personally during their
long stay in Rome, but even his authority was able to put an end to the
quarrelling only superficially and for a short time. 64 It was probably in 7 bc
that Herod had them both executed. 65
Some years later, immediately after the death of Herod, Alexander appeared
again in the land of the living. The man who impersonated him
looked so like him to those who believed him dead that even those who had
known the prince intimately were absolutely convinced. This, at least, is the
assertion of Flavius Josephus, who gives two versions of the activities of
the false Alexander. 66 There are differences between the earlier (in the Bellum
Iudaicum) and the later (in the Antiquitates) of these which demonstrate above
all how what Josephus reports as historical incidents were the products of
considerable literary embellishment.
As it later transpired, someone had taken on the identity of Alexander.
The imposter was an anonymous Jewish slave belonging to the household of
a Roman freedman in Sidon. His initial asset was his amazing facial resemblance
to the prince. The idea of exploiting this was not his but that of a
third party, also a Jew, who was well informed about conditions in Herod’s
court and was generally a crafty rogue. 67 Who he was we can for the moment
leave aside. Acting as an ‘instructor in mischief ’ (kakias didaskolos), this
mystery man used his intimate knowledge to school the slave from Sidon
in his role as Alexander. 68 He laid particular emphasis on giving the false
Alexander the airs and deportment of a prince. ‘Alexander’ must have been a
willing pupil to have carried this off as well as he clearly did.
After careful preparation the plot could proceed. ‘Alexander’ claimed in
public that ‘his’ executioner had let ‘him’ go out of compassion, and that
someone else’s body had been substituted for his as proof to Herod that his
death warrant had been carried out. 69 He sought his fortune far afield. From
Jewish communities in Crete and, especially, on Melos, he won extensive
support for extending his journey to Italy. The Melians even carried ‘Alexander’
about in a litter and generously set him up in a fashion fit for a king. 70
When he landed in Italy he was already a wealthy man – by his own
account, richer than the true Alexander had ever been. In Puteoli, and then
in Rome, the same performance of triumphant arrival and enthusiastic crowds
was repeated. 71
In the meantime, Augustus too had become aware of this purported son
of Herod. Having known Alexander personally, he (according to Josephus)
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