The Seventh Veil of Salome

Historically, Salome was a princess of the Herodean dynasty, the daughter of Herod II and Herodias. Salome’s grandfather, Herod the Great, and her stepfather, Herod Antipas (a significant character in The Seventh Veil of Salome, referred to as King Herod) both figures in the Christian Bible. Herod the Great was the ruling king at the time of Jesus’s birth, and Herod Antipas was the ruling king while John the Baptist was active as a prophet. Salome is mentioned in the Christian Bible (although not named) and also in the writings of the Jewish historian Josephus.

Herod the Great was appointed King of Judea by the Roman Senate in approximately 40 BCE; although his family had converted to Judaism, he was not ethnically Jewish. Herod the Great held his position because of the support he received from Rome (Roman forces had conquered Judea’s capital city, Jerusalem, in 63 BCE, rendering Judea a client kingdom of the Roman Republic). Herod the Great ruled until his death in 4 BCE, maintaining power despite a tumultuous political climate and volatile family dynamics. During his reign, Rome transitioned from a republic to an empire, and when Herod the Great died, Augustus (the first Roman emperor) was on the throne.