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Estates in Ancient Batanea, Gaulanitis,
and Trachonitis
 The area that later become the territory of Philip, one of the
sons and heirs of Herod the Great, also had huge estates that
began at least by the first century BC. When Herod
determined to plant a colony in Batanea, he settled 500 mounted
archers and their relatives on tax free land (Josephus,
Antiquities 17.23-25). S. Freyne argues that Herod must have
owned the land that he gave them. Again, if he gave each six
acres, then he must have owned at least 3000 acres. Likewise
Herod settled 3000 Idumeans in Trachonitis to restrain brigands
in the area (Josephus, Antiquities 16. 285). This action would
have required around 18,000 acres.
Finally, Josephus notes that a certain
official in the service of Agrippa II had control of villages
near Gamala (Josephus, Life 47). We may assume that this
official gained this control from Agrippa II himself. This
arrangement is like that described above. A king would often
give a portion of one of his vast estates to a favored
bureaucrat as reward for faithful service.
We cannot trace a history of these estates
before the time of Herod the Great. Therefore, we should
conclude that this area was developed by Herod and not inherited
by him from the Hasmoneans.
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