In the aftermath of the assassination of Julius Caesar, Rome is on the brink of violent revolution. In this chaotic world, Herod and his family find themselves entangled in the intrigues of the factions vying for political power in Judea. Cleopatra is likewise suddenly alone and vulnerable, but not without a plan.

The appearance of a mysterious man (Marc Antony, disguised) changes everything, and sets them on a course leading to unknown circumstance and certain danger.

SYNOPSIS:

The epic of Herod The Great begins in Rome, the day after the Ides of March, 44 BCE. The assassination of Julius Caesar; arguably the most pivotal moment in human history.

In the Pilot, Herod— protagonist / main character — meets Nicolaus of Damascus, who will shadow Herod throughout his life. Nicolaus finds Herod in the vast empty space of the Circus Maximus chariot racing stadium in Rome. Sent by Marc Antonyto keep tabs on Antipater(Herod’s father and ranking politician in Judea), Nicolaus lies to Herod and his father that he works for Brutusand Cassius, the leaders of the conspiracy to kill Julius Caesar. Both men have disappeared from the city. The plan nearly backfires on Nicolaus, as Herod suspects (incorrectly) the scribe is a mercenary with dark intentions. The secrecy on Antony’s part is necessary; he went into hiding (at Caesar’s villa, where Antipater and his family are also staying) immediately after Caesar’s murder to avoid being eliminated himself.

In the midst of this unrest, two of Herod’s brothers (Phasaeland Pheroras) go out at night to a tavern

Cleopatra’s sister Arsinoëhas escaped her imprisonment at the Temple or Artemis, in Ephesus. Placed there against her will by Caesar in 48 BCE (no doubt to the delight of his new mistress Cleopatra), she faced a lifetime of service to the cult of Artemis as a virgin priestess. News of the assassination was enough to spur Arsinoë to escape.

Meanwhile, Herod continues to be revisited by troubling visions he has had since childhood. They are not ‘bad dreams’ — as anyone can have those. Herod’s visions are of events that all happen exactly as he saw them in the visions. His mother Cyprosthinks they are prophecies and warns Herod to tell no one. It greatly troubles her to think her son might be the first Prophetin 400 years, since Malachi. Most concerning to Herod, he envisioned the death of Caesar precisely as it occurred a year before. He did not tell anyone, never suspecting the date would coincide with their visit to Rome.