Salome

Salome (Greek: Σαλώμη, Salōmē), the Daughter of Herodias (c. AD 14 - between 62 and 71), is known from the New Testament (Mark 6:17-29 and Matthew 14:3-11, where, however, her name is not given). Another source from Antiquity, Flavius Josephus's Jewish Antiquities, gives her name and some detail about her family relations.

Her name in Hebrew is שלומית (Shlomiẗ, IPA: ) and is derived from the root word ŠLM (שלם), meaning "peace".

Christian traditions depict her as an icon of dangerous female seductiveness, notably in regard to the dance mentioned in the New Testament, which is thought to have had an erotic element to it, and in some later transformations it has further been iconized as the dance of the seven veils. Other elements of Christian tradition concentrate on her lighthearted and cold foolishness that, according to the gospels, led to John the Baptist's death.

A new motif was added by Oscar Wilde in his Salome, in which she plays the role of femme fatale. This last interpretation, made even more memorable by Richard Strauss' opera based on Wilde's work, is not consistent with Josephus' account; according to the Romanized Jewish historian, Salome lived long enough to marry twice and raise several children. Few literary accounts elaborate the biographical data given by Josephus.