principality · Anatolia and the Levant

Tetrarchy of Galilee and Peraea

4 BCE – 39 CE · capital Tiberias

Herod Antipas's tetrarchy in Galilee and east of the Jordan, the political setting of the ministries of John the Baptist and Jesus.

Origins

After the death of Herod the Great in 4 BCE, Augustus gave his son Herod Antipas two separate territories: Galilee, west of the Sea of Galilee, and Peraea, a strip east of the Jordan. Antipas first rebuilt Sepphoris, wrecked in the unrest after his father's death, as his seat.

Rule and society

Antipas ruled as a Roman client and largely respected Jewish sensibilities, minting coins without images. Around 19 CE he founded Tiberias on the lake shore, named after the emperor, and moved his capital there. The Gospels and Josephus record that he imprisoned and executed John the Baptist, and Luke says Jesus was sent to him during his trial. Fishing, farming and olive oil sustained the economy.

Decline and legacy

His divorce of a daughter of the Nabataean king Aretas IV to marry Herodias led to a war he lost in 36. Accused of conspiracy by his nephew Agrippa, he was deposed by Caligula in 39 and exiled to Gaul. His lands passed to the Kingdom of Herod Agrippa.

Lineage

Herodian Kingdom of Judea 37 BCE – 4 BCETetrarchy of Galilee and PeraeaKingdom of Herod Agrippa 37 CE – 100 CE

Connections (1)

  • Tetrarchy of Galilee and Peraea was a vassal of Roman Empire4 BCE – 39 CE

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Cite this page
APA
The Epoch Institute. (2026). Tetrarchy of Galilee and Peraea. In The Epoch Institute States Register. https://the-epoch-institute.org/state/tetrarchy-of-galilee-and-peraea
MLA
“Tetrarchy of Galilee and Peraea.” The Epoch Institute States Register, The Epoch Institute, 2026, https://the-epoch-institute.org/state/tetrarchy-of-galilee-and-peraea. Accessed .
Chicago
The Epoch Institute. “Tetrarchy of Galilee and Peraea.” The Epoch Institute States Register. 2026. https://the-epoch-institute.org/state/tetrarchy-of-galilee-and-peraea.
Harvard
The Epoch Institute (2026) ‘Tetrarchy of Galilee and Peraea’, The Epoch Institute States Register. Available at: https://the-epoch-institute.org/state/tetrarchy-of-galilee-and-peraea (Accessed: ).

Last reviewed October 2026Random state ↻