Antipater II (Ancient Greek: Ἀντίπατρος, Antípatros) was the eldest son of Herod the Great and his first wife, Doris. Born around 46 BC, he was named after his grandfather, Antipater the Idumaean. For much of his life, he stood as the primary heir to Herod’s throne, but he ultimately fell from favor and was executed shortly before his father’s death.
When Herod divorced Doris between 43 and 40 BC to marry Mariamne I, Antipater and his mother were banished from court. After Mariamne’s execution in 29 BC, however, they were recalled. By 13 BC, Herod formally named Antipater his first heir in his will. Even when Herod’s sons by Mariamne—Alexander and Aristobulus IV—rose in prominence around 12 BC, Antipater retained his position. Following their execution in 7 BC, he became the sole successor (with Herod II next in line).
In 5 BC, Antipater was accused of plotting to murder his father. He was tried before Publius Quinctilius Varus, the Roman governor of Syria, and was found guilty. Because of his royal status, the death sentence required confirmation from Augustus. While awaiting approval, Antipater was stripped of his position as heir, which was given to Herod Antipas. Once Augustus authorized the sentence in 4 BC, Antipater was executed.
In Herod’s final will, Herod Archelaus was appointed ruler over the main kingdom, while Antipas and Philip the Tetrarch were made tetrarchs over other regions.
The Roman writer Macrobius, in his work Saturnalia, later attributed to Augustus the remark: “It is better to be Herod’s pig than his son,” reflecting Herod’s repeated execution of his own heirs.
According to the historian Josephus, Antipater had two wives. The first was his niece, Mariamne III, daughter of Aristobulus IV. The second was an unnamed Hasmonean princess, daughter of Antigonus II Mattathias, the last Hasmonean king and high priest. Josephus notes that this second wife remained at the palace with Doris in support of Antipater during his trial before Varus in 5 BC.
Antipater’s life illustrates the intense rivalries and suspicion that marked the later years of Herod’s reign. Groomed for succession and elevated above his half-brothers, he ultimately met the same fate—condemned and executed amid dynastic intrigue.
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