The Salome No One Knows: Long-Time Ruler of a Prosperous and Peaceful Judea Mentioned in Dead Sea Scrolls

Salome the dancer is the famous Salome of history, but Salome the leader of Judea is the one who really deserves the recognition. Wife to King Alexander Jannaeus and leader after his death, Salome ruled more effectively than her husband. Here, Atkinson details how Salome's nine-year reign brought unprecedented calm and prosperity to the nation. In her lifetime, she defied the odds to become the most powerful woman in Judea's history. When Jannaeus died, Salome continued his military campaign, successfully captured Ragaba and returned home to Jerusalem as the nation's new monarch. She appears to have made peace with her husband's enemy, the Nabatean king Aretas, and apparently undertook a military expedition to help him regain Damascus from a strong- man named Ptolemy Mennaeus. By this action, Salome brought peace to Judea's eastern and northern frontiers, long a scene of conflict during her husband's reign.