Coin minted by Herod Agrippa I.

Agrippa I, also known as Herod Agrippa or simply Herod (10 BC – 44 AD), was a King of the Jews during the 1st century AD. The grandson of Herod the Great and son of Aristobulus IV and Berenice.^[1] He was born Marcus Julius Agrippa, so named in honour of Roman statesman Marcus Vipsanius Agrippa. He is the king named Herod in the Acts of the Apostles, in the Bible, "Herod (Agrippa)" (Ἡρώδης Ἀγρίππας). He was, according to Josephus, known in his time as "Agrippa the Great".^[2] Christian and Jewish historiography take different views of this king, with the Christians largely opposing Agrippa and the Jews largely favoring Agrippa.

Agrippa's territory comprised most of Israel, including Iudaea, Galilee, Batanaea and Perea. From Galilee his territory extended east to Trachonitis.

Life[link]

Rome[link]

Josephus informs us that, after the murder of his father, young Agrippa was sent by Herod the Great to the imperial court in Rome. There, Tiberius conceived a great affection for him, and had him educated alongside his son Drusus, who also befriended him, and future emperor Claudius.^[1] On the death of Drusus, Agrippa, who had been recklessly extravagant and was deeply in debt, was obliged to leave Rome, fleeing to the fortress of Malatha in Idumaea. There, it was said, he contemplated suicide.^[3]

After a brief seclusion, through the mediation of his wife Cypros and his sister Herodias, Agrippa was given a sum of money by his uncle, Herodias' husband, Herod Antipas, Tetrarch of Galilee and Perea, and was allowed to take up residence in Tiberias, and received the rank of aedile in that city, with a small yearly income. But having quarrelled with his brother-in-law, he fled to Flaccus, proconsul of Syria. Soon afterwards he was convicted, through the information of his brother Aristobulus, of having received a bribe from the Damascenes, who wished to purchase his influence with the proconsul, and was again compelled to flee. He was arrested as he was about to sail for Italy, for a sum of money which he owed to the treasury of Caesar, but made his escape, and reached Alexandria, where his wife succeeded in procuring a supply of money from Alexander the Alabarch. He then set sail, and landed at Puteoli. He was favorably received by Tiberius, who entrusted him with the education of his grandson Tiberius Gemellus. He also formed an intimacy with Caligula, then a popular favorite. Agrippa was one day overheard by his freedman Eutyches expressing a wish for Tiberius' death and the advancement of Caligula, and for this he was cast into prison.^[1]

Caligula and Claudius[link]

Laureate head of Caligula left, Germanicus in triumphal quadriga right.

Following Tiberius' death and the ascension of Agrippa's friend Caligula, Agrippa was set free and made governor first of the territories of Batanaea and Trachonitis that his cousin Herod II had held, then of the tetrarchy of Lysanias, with the title of "king". Caligula also presented him with a golden chain of a weight equal to the iron one he had worn in prison. In 39 , Agrippa returned to Rome, and brought about the banishment of his uncle, Herod Antipas, whose tetrarchy over Galilee and Peraea he then was granted.^[4]

On the assassination of Caligula in 41, Agrippa's advice helped to secure Claudius' accession as emperor, which he made a show of being in the interest of the senate. As a reward for his assistance, Claudius gave Agrippa dominion over Judea and Samaria, while the kingdom of Chalcis in Lebanon was at his request given to his brother Herod. Thus Agrippa became one of the most powerful princes of the east; the territory he possessed exceeded that which was held by his grandfather Herod the Great.

In the city of Berytus he built a theatre and amphitheatre, baths, and porticoes. He expressed similar magnanimity in Sebaste, Heliopolis and Caesarea. The suspicions of Claudius prevented him from finishing the fortifications with which he had begun to surround Jerusalem. His friendship was courted by many of the neighboring kings and rulers,^[1] some of whom he housed in Tiberias, which also caused Claudius some displeasure.^[4]

Reign and death[link]

Account in Josephus[link]

Agrippa I prutah.

Agrippa returned to Judea and governed it to the satisfaction of the Jews. His zeal, private and public, for Judaism is recorded by Josephus and the rabbis. Perhaps because of this, his passage through Alexandria around 40 instigated anti-Jewish riots.^[4] At the risk of his own life, or at least of his liberty, he interceded with Caligula on behalf of the Jews, when that emperor was attempting to set up his statue in the Temple at Jerusalem shortly before his death in 41. Agrippa's efforts bore fruit and persuaded Caligula to rescind his order thus preventing the Temple's desecration.^[5]

After Passover in 44, Agrippa went to Caesarea, where he had games performed in honor of Claudius. In the midst of his elation Agrippa saw an owl perched over his head. During his imprisonment by Tiberius a similar omen had been interpreted as portending his speedy release, with the warning that should he behold the same sight again, he would die within five days. He was immediately smitten with violent pains, and scolded his friends for flattering him and accepting his imminent death. He experienced heart pains and a pain in his abdomen, and died after five days.^[6] Josephus then relates how Agrippa's brother, Herod of Chalcis, and Helcias sent Aristo to kill Silas.^[7]

Acts 12 relates that he was eaten by worms, (possibly Fournier's gangrene, the same disease that may have killed his grandfather Herod the Great) after God struck him for accepting the praise of sycophants, comparing him to a god.

The Jewish Encyclopedia has a different account of Agrippa's reign:

Claudius, showed himself grateful to Agrippa for important services rendered him, and upon his accession, placed under his rule the remainder of Palestine, the territories of Samaria, Judea, and Idumæa, formerly governed by Archelaus. Loaded with honors and titles, Agrippa returned home, and the few remaining years of his benevolent sway afforded the people a brief period of peace and prosperity. The evil consequences of a ruler's unbridled passions and tyranny had been sufficiently evident to him in Rome, and they had taught him moderation and strict self-control. His people regarded him with love and devotion, because he healed with tender hand the deep wounds inflicted upon the national susceptibilities by brutal Roman governors. He ruled his subjects with compassion and friendliness. Like the ancestral Asmoneans from whom he sprang through his noble grandmother Mariamne, he honored the Law. Like the merest commoner, he carried his basket of first-fruits to the Temple; with the people he celebrated appropriately the Feast of Tabernacles, and he devoted to the sanctuary a golden chain with which Caligula had honored him. On one occasion, while in the street, he met a bridal procession which drew up to let him pass, but he halted and bade it take precedence. He sought to lighten taxation, remitting the impost on houses in Jerusalem. On the coins minted by him he carefully avoided placing any symbols which could offend the people's religious sentiment. Thus, prosperity and comfort seemed to be dawning anew for the Jews. The Romans, however, became jealous of this rising prosperity, and—sometimes covertly, sometimes openly—laid all manner of obstacles in his way. When he began to repair the fortifications of the capital, he was abruptly bidden to cease. His attempts to fraternize with neighboring peoples—vassals of Rome—were construed as portending rebellion. His sudden death at the games in Cæsarea, 44, must be considered as a stroke of Roman politics. His death, while in the full vigor of his years, was deeply lamented by his people, notwithstanding the fact that he had made many considerable concessions to heathen manners and customs. The Christians looked upon his death as a judgment for his undisguised hostility to their young community (Acts, xii.)."^[8][9][10]

The Talmud also has a positive view of his reign: The Mishnah explained how the Jews of the Second Temple era interpreted the requirement of Deuteronomy 31:10–13 that the king read the Torah to the people. At the conclusion of the first day of Sukkot immediately after the conclusion of the seventh year in the cycle, they erected a wooden dais in the Temple court, upon which the king sat. The synagogue attendant took a Torah scroll and handed it to the synagogue president, who handed it to the High Priest's deputy, who handed it to the High Priest, who handed it to the king. The king stood and received it, and then read sitting. King Agrippa stood and received it and read standing, and the sages praised him for doing so. When Agrippa reached the commandment of Deuteronomy 17:15 that “you may not put a foreigner over you” as king, his eyes ran with tears, but they said to him, “Don’t fear, Agrippa, you are our brother, you are our brother!”^[11] The king would read from Deuteronomy 1:1 up through the shema (Deuteronomy 6:4–9), and then Deuteronomy 11:13–21, the portion regarding tithes (Deuteronomy 14:22–29), the portion of the king (Deuteronomy 17:14–20), and the blessings and curses (Deuteronomy 27–28). The king would recite the same blessings as the High Priest, except that the king would substitute a blessing for the festivals instead of one for the forgiveness of sin. (Mishnah Sotah 7:8; Babylonian Talmud Sotah 41a.)

Account in the New Testament[link]

Coin of Herod of Chalcis, showing Herod of Chalcis with brother Agrippa I crowning Roman Emperor Claudius I.

"King Herod", mentioned in the Bible's Acts of the Apostles,^[12] is identified by historians as the same person as King Agrippa I. The identification is based in part on the description of his death, which is very similar to Agrippa's death in Josephus's Antiquities of the Jews 19.8.2, although Josephus does not include the claim that "an angel of the Lord struck him down, and he was eaten by worms". Further evidence is the identification of the ruler in Acts 12:1 as "Herod the king", since Agrippa I is the only Herod who would have had authority in Jerusalem at that time.^[13]

The description of Herod Agrippa I as a cruel, heartless king who persecuted the Jerusalem church, having James son of Zebedee killed and imprisoning Peter, stands in stark contrast with Josephus' account of a kindly man. According to Josephus, he was a milder ruler than his grandfather Herod the Great, and Josephus records him as talking with and then forgiving a law student accused of political rabble rousing, rather than punishing him as his grandfather and some other Herods would have done.^{[citation needed]} Christian scholars argue that the biblical account might make sense if one recalls that Agrippa had been born and raised to revere his Jewishness. Agrippa would resent a movement begun during his absence from Judæa when explained to him by the religious leaders of Israel as a sacrilegious mission trying to equate a mere man, Jesus of Nazareth, with the One God of Judaism.

Blastus is mentioned in the New Testament as Herod's chamberlain.^[14]

Herod Antipas, uncle and predecessor of Agrippa I as ruler of Galilee and Peræa, is the Herod mentioned in the Gospels who authorized the execution of John the Baptist and played a role in the trial of Jesus.^[15]

Agrippa II, son of Agrippa I, was asked, with his sister Berenice, by the Roman Procurator of Judea, Porcius Festus, to assist in the mini-trial of the Apostle Paul.^[16]

Progeny[link]

By his wife Cypros he had a son, Agrippa II [b.28 AD?-d.93 AD?], and three daughters, including:

• Berenice, [b.28-after 81 AD] who first married her uncle Herod, king of Chalcis, and afterwards lived with her brother Agrippa, reputedly in an incestuous relationship, and subsequently married Polamo, king of Cilicia; she is alluded to by Juvenal;^[17] Bernice also had a common-law relationship with the Roman emperor Titus.
• Mariamne, [b.34-?] who married Gaius Julius Archelaus Antiochus Epiphanes; they had a daughter Berenice (daughter of Mariamne) [b.50 AD] who lived with her mother in Alexandria, Egypt after her parents divorce
• Drusilla, [38–79 AD] who married first to Gaius Julius Azizus, King of Emesa and then to Antonius Felix, the procurator of Judaea.^{[18][19][20][21]} Drusilla and her son Marcus Antonius Agrippa died in the eruption of Pompeii. A daughter Antonia Clementiana became a grandmother to a Lucius Anneius Domitius Proculus. Two possible descendants from this marriage are Marcus Antonius Fronto Salvianus (a quaestor) and his son Marcus Antonius Felix Magnus a high priest in 225.

Agrippa in other media[link]

• Herod Agrippa is the protagonist of the Italian opera, L’Agrippa tetrarca di Gerusalemme (1724) by Giuseppe Maria Buini (mus.) and Claudio Nicola Stampa (libr.), first performed at the Teatro Ducale of Milan, Italy, on August 28, 1724.^[22]
• Herod Agrippa is a major figure in Robert Graves' novel Claudius the God, as well as the BBC television adaptation I, Claudius, (wherein he was portrayed by James Faulkner). He is depicted as one of Claudius' closest life-long friends.

Notes[link]

References[link]

• This article incorporates text from Easton's Bible Dictionary (1897), a publication now in the public domain.
•  This article incorporates text from a publication now in the public domain: Chisholm, Hugh, ed. (1911). Encyclopædia Britannica (11th ed.). Cambridge University Press. 
•  This article incorporates text from a publication now in the public domain: Smith, William, ed. (1867). "^{article name needed}". Dictionary of Greek and Roman Biography and Mythology. 
• Yohanan Aharoni & Michael Avi-Yonah, "The MacMillan Bible Atlas", Revised Edition, p. 156 (1968 & 1977, by Carta Ltd.).

External links[link]

Wikimedia Commons has media related to: Agrippa I

 Chisholm, Hugh, ed. (1911). "Agrippa, Herod, I.". Encyclopædia Britannica (11th ed.). Cambridge University Press. 

• Jewish Encyclopedia: Agrippa I.
• Agrippa I, article in historical sourcebook by Mahlon H. Smith
• Sergey E. Rysev. Herod and Agrippa

This article is about the Roman statesman and general. For the personal name, see Agrippa (praenomen). For a list of individuals with this name, see Agrippa (disambiguation).

Marcus Vipsanius Agrippa
Bust of Marcus Vipsanius Agrippa from the Forum of Gabii, currently in the Louvre, Paris
Born	23 October/November 63 BC Uncertain, possibly Istria or Asisium[1]
Died	12 BC Campania
Allegiance	Roman Empire
Years of service	45 BC – 12 BC
Rank	General
Commands held	Roman army
Battles/wars	Caesar's civil war Battle of Munda Battle of Mutina Battle of Philippi Battle of Actium

Marcus Vipsanius Agrippa (c. 23 October or November 64/63 BC – 12 BC) was a Roman statesman and general.^[2] He was a close friend, son-in-law, lieutenant and defence minister to Octavian, the future Emperor Caesar Augustus and father-in-law of the Emperor Tiberius, maternal grandfather of the Emperor Caligula, and maternal great-grandfather of the Emperor Nero. He was responsible for most of Octavian’s military victories, most notably winning the naval Battle of Actium against the forces of Mark Antony and Cleopatra VII of Egypt.

Early life[link]

Agrippa was born between 23 October and 23 November in 64–62 BC,^[3] in an uncertain location.^[1] His father was perhaps called Lucius Vipsanius Agrippa.^[4] He had an elder brother whose name was also Lucius Vipsanius Agrippa, and a sister named Vipsania Polla. The family had not been prominent in Roman public life.^[5] However, Agrippa was about the same age as Octavian (the future emperor Augustus), and the two were educated together and became close friends. Despite Agrippa's association with the family of Julius Caesar, his elder brother chose another side in the civil wars of the 40s BC, fighting under Cato against Caesar in Africa. When Cato's forces were defeated, Agrippa's brother was taken prisoner but freed after Octavian interceded on his behalf.^[6]

It is not known whether Agrippa fought against his brother in Africa, but he probably served in Caesar's campaign of 46–45 BC against Gnaeus Pompeius, which culminated in the Battle of Munda.^[7] Caesar regarded him highly enough to send him with Octavius in 45 BC to study in Apollonia with the Macedonian legions, while Caesar consolidated his power in Rome.^[8] It was in the fourth month of their stay in Apollonia that the news of Julius Caesar's assassination in March 44 BC reached them. Agrippa and another friend, Quintus Salvidienus Rufus, advised Octavius to march on Rome with the troops from Macedonia, but Octavius decided to sail to Italy with a small retinue. After his arrival, he learnt that Caesar had adopted him as his legal heir.^[9] Octavius at this time took Caesar's name, but is referred to by modern historians as "Octavian" during this period.

Rise in power[link]

After Octavian's return to Rome, he and his supporters realised they needed the support of legions. Agrippa helped Octavian to levy troops in Campania.^[10] Once Octavian had his legions, he made a pact with Mark Antony and Lepidus, legally established in 43 BC as the Second Triumvirate. Octavian and his consular colleague Quintus Pedius arranged for Caesar's assassins to be prosecuted in their absence, and Agrippa was entrusted with the case against Gaius Cassius Longinus.^[11] It may have been in the same year that Agrippa began his political career, holding the position of Tribune of the Plebs, which granted him entry to the Senate.^[12]

Bust of Agrippa, Pushkin Museum

In 42 BC, Agrippa probably fought alongside Octavian and Antony in the Battle of Philippi.^[13] After their return to Rome, he played a major role in Octavian's war against Lucius Antonius and Fulvia Antonia, respectively the brother and wife of Mark Antony, which began in 41 BC and ended in the capture of Perusia in 40 BC. However, Salvidienus remained Octavian's main general at this time.^[14] After the Perusine war, Octavian departed for Gaul, leaving Agrippa as urban praetor in Rome with instructions to defend Italy against Sextus Pompeius, an opponent of the Triumvirate who was now occupying Sicily. In July 40, while Agrippa was occupied with the Ludi Apollinares that were the praetor's responsibility, Sextus began a raid in southern Italy. Agrippa advanced on him, forcing him to withdraw.^[15] However, the Triumvirate proved unstable, and in August 40 both Sextus and Antony invaded Italy (but not in an organized alliance). Agrippa's success in retaking Sipontum from Antony helped bring an end to the conflict.^[16] Agrippa was among the intermediaries through whom Antony and Octavian agreed once more upon peace. During the discussions Octavian learned that Salvidienus had offered to betray him to Antony, with the result that Salvidienus was prosecuted and either executed or committed suicide. Agrippa was now Octavian's leading general.^[17]

Agrippa depicted in a relief of the "Altar of Peace," the Ara Pacis.

In 39 or 38 BC, Octavian appointed Agrippa governor of Transalpine Gaul, where in 38 he put down a rising of the Aquitanians. He also fought the Germanic tribes, becoming the next Roman general to cross the Rhine after Julius Caesar.^[18] He was summoned back to Rome by Octavian to assume the consulship for 37 BC. He was well below the usual minimum age of 43, but Octavian had suffered a humiliating naval defeat against Sextus Pompey and needed his friend to oversee the preparations for further warfare. Agrippa refused the offer of a triumph for his exploits in Gaul – on the grounds, says Dio, that he thought it improper to celebrate during a time of trouble for Octavian.^[19] Since Sextus Pompeius had command of the sea on the coasts of Italy, Agrippa's first care was to provide a safe harbour for his ships. He accomplished this by cutting through the strips of land which separated the Lacus Lucrinus from the sea, thus forming an outer harbour, while joining the lake Avernus to the Lucrinus to serve as an inner harbor.^[20] The new harbor-complex was named Portus Julius in Octavian's honour.^[21] Agrippa was also responsible for technological improvements, including larger ships and an improved form of grappling hook.^[22] About this time, he married Caecilia Pomponia Attica, daughter of Cicero's friend Titus Pomponius Atticus.^[23]

In 36 BC, Octavian and Agrippa set sail against Sextus. The fleet was badly damaged by storms and had to withdraw; Agrippa was left in charge of the second attempt. Thanks to superior technology and training, Agrippa and his men won decisive victories at Mylae and Naulochus, destroying all but seventeen of Sextus' ships and compelling most of his forces to surrender. Octavian, with his power increased, forced the triumvir Lepidus into retirement and entered Rome in triumph.^[24] Agrippa received the unprecedented honour of a naval crown decorated with the beaks of ships; as Dio remarks, this was "a decoration given to nobody before or since".^[25]

Life in public service[link]

Hadrian's Pantheon was built to replace the previous temple that had been built during Agrippa's rule. Hadrian retained the legend M·AGRIPPA·L·F·COS·TERTIVM·FECIT, which means Marcus Agrippa, son of Lucius, Consul for the third time, built this

Agrippa participated in smaller military campaigns in 35 and 34 BC, but by the autumn of 34 he had returned to Rome.^[26] He rapidly set out on a campaign of public repairs and improvements, including renovation of the aqueduct known as the Aqua Marcia and an extension of its pipes to cover more of the city. Through his actions after being elected in 33 BC as one of the aediles (officials responsible for Rome's buildings and festivals), the streets were repaired and the sewers were cleaned out, while lavish public spectacles were put on.^[27] Agrippa signalled his tenure of office by effecting great improvements in the city of Rome, restoring and building aqueducts, enlarging and cleansing the Cloaca Maxima, constructing baths and porticos, and laying out gardens. He also gave a stimulus to the public exhibition of works of art. It was unusual for an ex-consul to hold the lower-ranking position of aedile,^[28] but Agrippa's success bore out this break with tradition. As emperor, Augustus would later boast that "he had found the city of brick but left it of marble", thanks in part to the great services provided by Agrippa under his reign.

Antony and Cleopatra[link]

Statue of Agrippa at the Archaeological Museum of Venice

Agrippa was again called away to take command of the fleet when the war with Antony and Cleopatra broke out. He captured the strategically important city of Methone at the southwest of the Peloponnese, then sailed north, raiding the Greek coast and capturing Corcyra (modern Corfu). Octavian then brought his forces to Corcyra, occupying it as a naval base.^[29] Antony drew up his ships and troops at Actium, where Octavian moved to meet him. Agrippa meanwhile defeated Antony's supporter Quintus Nasidius in a naval battle at Patrae.^[30] Dio relates that as Agrippa moved to join Octavian near Actium, he encountered Gaius Sosius, one of Antony's lieutenants, who was making a surprise attack on the squadron of Lucius Tarius, a supporter of Octavian. Agrippa's unexpected arrival turned the battle around.^[31]

As the decisive battle approached, according to Dio, Octavian received intelligence that Antony and Cleopatra planned to break past his naval blockade and escape. At first he wished to allow the flagships past, arguing that he could overtake them with his lighter vessels and that the other opposing ships would surrender when they saw their leaders' cowardice. Agrippa objected that Antony's ships, although larger, could outrun Octavian's if they hoisted sails, and that Octavian ought to fight now because Antony's fleet had just been struck by storms. Octavian followed his friend's advice.^[32]

On September 2 31 BC, the Battle of Actium was fought. Octavian's victory, which gave him the mastery of Rome and the empire, was mainly due to Agrippa.^[33] As a token of signal regard, Octavian bestowed upon him the hand of his niece Claudia Marcella Major in 28 BC. He also served a second consulship with Octavian the same year. In 27 BC, Agrippa held a third consulship with Octavian, and in that year, the senate also bestowed upon Octavian the imperial title of Augustus.

In commemoration of the Battle of Actium, Agrippa built and dedicated the building that served as the Roman Pantheon before its destruction in 80. Emperor Hadrian used Agrippa's design to build his own Pantheon, which survives in Rome. The inscription of the later building, which was built around 125, preserves the text of the inscription from Agrippa's building during his third consulship. The years following his third consulship, Agrippa spent in Gaul, reforming the provincial administration and taxation system, along with building an effective road system and aqueducts.

Late life[link]

The theatre at Merida, Spain; it was promoted by Agrippa, built between 16 and 15 BC.

Agrippa's friendship with Augustus seems to have been clouded by the jealousy of Augustus' nephew Marcus Claudius Marcellus, which was probably fomented by the intrigues of Livia, the third wife of Augustus, who feared his influence over her husband.^[34] Traditionally it is said the result of such jealousy was that Agrippa left Rome, ostensibly to take over the governorship of eastern provinces – a sort of honourable exile, but he only sent his legate to Syria, while he himself remained at Lesbos and governed by proxy,^[34] though he may have been on a secret mission to negotiate with the Parthians about the return of the Roman legions standards which they held.^[35] On the death of Marcellus, which took place within a year of his exile, he was recalled to Rome by Augustus, who found he could not dispense with his services. However, if one places the events in the context of the crisis in 23 BC it seems unlikely that, when facing significant opposition and about to make a major political climb down, the emperor Augustus would place a man in exile in charge of the largest body of Roman troops. What is far more likely is that Agrippa's 'exile' was actually the careful political positioning of a loyal lieutenant in command of a significant army as a backup plan in case the settlement plans of 23 BC failed and Augustus needed military support.

It is said that Maecenas advised Augustus to attach Agrippa still more closely to him by making him his son-in-law.^[36] He accordingly induced him to divorce Marcella and marry his daughter Julia the Elder by 21 BC, the widow of Marcellus,^[37] equally celebrated for her beauty, abilities, and her shameless profligacy. In 19 BC, Agrippa was employed in putting down a rising of the Cantabrians in Hispania (Cantabrian Wars).^[34] He was appointed governor of the eastern provinces a second time in 17 BC, where his just and prudent administration won him the respect and good-will of the provincials, especially from the Jewish population.^[34] Agrippa also restored effective Roman control over the Cimmerian Chersonnese (modern-day Crimea) during his governorship.

Agrippa’s last public service was his beginning of the conquest of the upper Danube River region, which would become the Roman province of Pannonia in 13 BC.^[38] He died at Campania in 12 BC at the age of 51. His posthumous son, Marcus Vipsanius Agrippa Postumus, was named in his honor. Augustus honoured his memory by a magnificent funeral and spent over a month in mourning. Augustus personally oversaw all of Agrippa's children’s educations. Although Agrippa had built a tomb for himself, Augustus had Agrippa's remains placed in Augustus' own mausoleum.^[39]

Legacy[link]

This unreferenced section requires citations to ensure verifiability.

The Maison Carrée at Nîmes, modern France, built in 19 BC; Agrippa was its patron.

Agrippa was also known as a writer, especially on the subject of geography.^[34] Under his supervision, Julius Caesar's dream of having a complete survey of the Empire made was carried out. Agrippa constructed a circular chart, which was later engraved on marble by Augustus, and afterwards placed in the colonnade built by his sister Polla.^[34] Amongst his writings, an autobiography, now lost, is referenced.^[34]

Marriages and issue[link]

Agrippa had several children through his three marriages:

• By his first wife, Caecilia Attica, he had a daughter, Vipsania Agrippina, who was to be the first wife of the Emperor Tiberius, and who gave birth to a son, Drusus the Younger.
• By his second wife, Claudia Marcella Major, he may have had a daughter, whose existence remains unclear, but this hypothetical figure is referred to as "Vipsania Marcella"
• By his third wife, Julia the Elder (daughter of Augustus), he had five children: Gaius Caesar, Julia the Younger, Lucius Caesar, Agrippina the Elder (wife of Germanicus, mother of the Emperor Caligula and Empress Agrippina the Younger), and Agrippa Postumus (a posthumous son).

Descendants[link]

Through his numerous children, Agrippa would become ancestor to many subsequent members of the Julio-Claudian dynasty, whose position he helped to attain, as well as many other reputed Romans.

(by Caecilia Attica)

1. Vipsania Agrippina I, 36 BC-20 AD, had at least 6 children by 2 husbands (1 by Tiberius, at least 5 by Gaius Asinius Gallus)

A. Drusus Julius Caesar, 13 BC-23 AD, had 3 children

I. Julia Caesaris, 5 AD-43 AD, had at least 1 child

a. Rubellius Plautus, 33 AD-62 AD, may have had several children

II. Tiberius Julius Caesar (?Nero) 'Gemellus', 19 AD-37 AD or 38 AD, died without issue

III. Germanicus Julius Caesar (?Nero) II 'Gemellus', 19 AD-23 AD, died young

B. Gaius Asinius Pollio, died 45 AD, children unknown

C. Marcus Asinius Agrippa, died 26 AD

D. (?Gnaeus) Asinius Saloninus, died 22 AD^[40]

E. Servius Asinius Celer,^[41][42] died before mid-47 AD, had 1 child

a. Asinia Agrippina

F. (?Lucius) Asinius Gallus^[43]

(by Julia Caesaris)

2. Gaius Julius Caesar, 20 BC – AD 4, died without issue

3. Vipsania Julia (Julia the Younger), 19 BC – AD 28, had two children;

A. Aemilia Lepida (fiancee of Claudius), 4 BC – AD 53, had five children;

I. Marcus Junius Silanus Torquatus, 14 – 54, had one child;

a. Lucius Junius Silanus Torquatus the younger, 50–66, died young

II. Junia Calvina, 15–79, died without issue

III. Decimus Junius Silanus Torquatus, d. 64 without issue

IV. Lucius Junius Silanus Torquatus the elder, d. 49 without issue

V. Junia Lepida, ca 18–65, issue unknown

B. Unnamed illegitimate son (by Decimus Junius Silanus), d. AD 8 (ordered to be exposed by Augustus)

4. Lucius Julius Caesar, 17 BC – AD 2, died without issue

5. Vipsania Agrippina II (Agrippina the Elder), 14 BC – AD 33, had nine children, of whom three died young;

A. Nero Julius Caesar, 6–30, died without issue

B. Drusus Julius Caesar, 7–33, died without issue

C. Gaius Julius Caesar, bef. AD 12 – bef. AD 12^[44]

D. Gaius Julius Caesar (Caligula), 12–41, had one child;

I. Julia Drusilla, 39–41, died young

E. Julia Agrippina, 15–59, had one child;

I. Nero Claudius Caesar (Lucius Domitius Ahenobarbus), 37–68, had one child;

a. Claudia Augusta, Jan. 63 – April 63; died young

F. Julia Drusilla, 16–38, died without issue

G. Julia Livilla, 18–42, died without issue

H. Tiberius Julius Caesar, ? – ? (either born before Nero Caesar, between Drusus Caesar and Gaius Caesar (Caligula) or between Gaius Caesar (Caligula) and Julia Agrippina)^[45]

?I. Son (name unknown), ? – ?^[46]

6. Agrippa Postumus, 12 BC – AD 14, died without issue

There have been some attempts to assign further descendants to a number of the aforementioned figures, including two lines of Asinii descended from Gaius Asinius Pollio and Marcus Asinius Agrippa respectively. A daughter (and further descendants) named Rubellia Bassa to Julia, who may have been a daughter of Gaius Rubellius Blandus by an earlier marriage. And, finally, a series of descendants from Junia Lepida and her husband, Gaius Cassius Longinus. However, it must be noted that all of these lines of descent are extremely hypothetical and lack any evidence to support a connection to the descendants of Agrippa.^{[citation needed]}

Agrippa in popular culture[link]

Drama[link]

Marcus Agrippa, a highly fictional character based on Marcus Vipsanius Agrippa's early life, is part of the BBC-HBO-RAI television series Rome. He is played by Allen Leech. The series creates a romantic relationship between Agrippa and Octavian's sister Octavia Minor, for which there is no historical evidence.

A fictional version of Agrippa in his later life played a prominent role in the 1976 BBC Television series I, Claudius. Agrippa was portrayed as a much older man, though he would have only been 39 years old at the time of the first episode (24/23 BC). He was played by John Paul. Agrippa is also one of the principal characters in the British/Italian joint project Imperium: Augustus featuring flashbacks between Augustus and Julia about Agrippa, which shows him in his youth on serving in Caesar's army up until his victory at Actium and the defeat of Cleopatra. He is portrayed by Ken Duken.

Agrippa appears in several of the Cleopatra films. He is normally portrayed as an old man rather than a young one. Among the people to portray him are Philip Locke, Alan Rowe and Andrew Keir.

Agrippa appears as a pivotal character in the novel 'Hand of Isis' by Jo Graham.

Literature[link]

Agrippa is a character in William Shakespeare's play Antony and Cleopatra and also a main character in the early part of Robert Graves novel I, Claudius. He is a main character in the later two novels of Colleen McCullough's Masters of Rome series. He is a featured character of prominence and importance in the historical fiction novel Cleopatra's Daughter by Michelle Moran. He also features prominently in John Edward Williams' historical novel Augustus.

See also[link]

• Julio-Claudian family tree

Notes[link]

References[link]

Wikisource has the text of the 1911 Encyclopædia Britannica article Agrippa, Marcus Vipsanius.

• Badian, E. (1981). "Notes on the Laudatio of Agrippa". Classical Journal 76: 97–109. 
• Buchan, J. (1937). Augustus. Boston: Houghton Mifflin. 
• Evans, H.B. (1982). "Agrippa's Water Plan". American Journal of Archeology 86 (3): 401–411. DOI:10.2307/504429. 
• Firth, J.B. (1903). Augustus Caesar and the Organization of the Empire of Rome. New York: G. P. Putnam's Sons. http://books.google.com/books?id=f5agAAAAMAAJ&printsec=frontcover. 
• Gray, E.W. (1970). "The Imperium of M. Agrippa: A Note on P. Colon. Inv. No. 4701". Zeitschrift für Papyrologie und Epigraphik 6: 227–238. 
• Lendering, Jona. "Marcus Vipsanius Agrippa". Livius. http://www.livius.org/vi-vr/vipsanius/agrippa.html. Retrieved 2007-04-22. 
• McKechnie, P. (October 1981). "Cassius Dio's Speech of Agrippa: A Realistic Alternative to Imperial Government?". Greece and Rome 28 (02): 150–155. DOI:10.1017/S0017383500033258. 
• Metello, Manuel Dejante Pinto de Magalhães Arnao; and João Carlos Metello de Nápoles (1998) (in Portuguese). Metellos de Portugal, Brasil e Roma. Lisboa: Edição Nova Arrancada. ISBN 972-8369-18-2. 
• Reinhold, Meyer (1933). Marcus Agrippa: A Biography. Geneva: W. F. Humphrey Press. 
• Roddaz, Jean-Michel (1984) (in French). Marcus Agrippa. Rome: École Française de Rome. ISBN [[Special:BookSources/2-7283-0000-0|2-7283-0000-0]]. 
• Shipley, Frederick W. (1933). Agrippa's Building Activities in Rome. St. Louis: Washington University. 

Further reading[link]

Wikimedia Commons has media related to: Marcus Vipsanius Agrippa

• Geoffrey Mottershead, The Constructions of Marcus Agrippa in the West, University of Melbourne, 2005
• Augustus' Funeral Oration for Agrippa
• Marcus Agrippa, article in historical sourcebook by Mahlon H. Smith

The Orb
Alex Paterson and Thomas Fehlmann of the Orb at Culture Box in Copenhagen.
Background information
Origin	England, United Kingdom
Genres	Ambient house Ambient Ambient techno Dub Chill out IDM
Years active	1988–present
Labels	Big Life Island Badorb.com Kompakt Malicious Damage Mercury MCA Columbia
Associated acts	The KLF Space Sun Electric System 7 FFWD Youth Transit Kings David Gilmour
Website	theorb.com
Members
Alex Paterson Thomas Fehlmann
Past members
Jimmy Cauty Kris Weston Andy Falconer Andy Hughes Simon Phillips

This article is about the band. For the comic book character, see Orb (comics).

The Orb are an English electronic music group known for spawning the genre of ambient house. Founded in 1988 by Alex Paterson and KLF member Jimmy Cauty, The Orb began as ambient and dub DJs in London. Its early performances were inspired by ambient and electronic artists of the 1970s and 1980s, most notably Brian Eno and Kraftwerk. Because of its trippy sound, the Orb developed a cult following among clubbers "coming down" from drug-induced highs.^[1] The Orb has maintained its drug-related and science fiction themes despite personnel changes including the departure of Cauty and other Orb members Kris Weston, Andy Falconer, Simon Phillips, and Andy Hughes. Paterson has been the only permanent member, continuing to work as the Orb with the Swiss-German producer Thomas Fehlmann and, later, with Killing Joke's Martin "Youth" Glover and Tim Bran of Dreadzone.^[2]

Alex Paterson prides the Orb on manipulating obscure samples beyond recognition on its albums and during its concerts; his unauthorised use of other artists' works has led to disputes with musicians, most notably with Rickie Lee Jones^[3] and Steve Reich.^{[citation needed]} During its live shows of the 1990s, the Orb performed using digital audio tape machines optimised for live mixing and sampling before switching to laptops and digital media. Despite changes in performance method, the Orb maintained its colourful light shows and psychedelic imagery in concert. These visually intensive performances prompted critics to compare the group to Pink Floyd.^[4]

The Orb's critical and commercial success in the United Kingdom peaked in the early 1990s with the albums The Orb's Adventures Beyond The Ultraworld and U.F.Orb, the latter of which reached #1 on the British album charts in 1992. This success led to its infamous appearance on Top of the Pops, where the group showcased its quirky style by playing chess (an interest of Paterson's since his early youth) while the group's single "Blue Room" ran in the background. The Orb's mid-1990s albums were met with mixed reactions from British critics; however, its work received praise from American publications such as Rolling Stone. The group experimented with vocalists on its next two albums, which critics generally described as bland and uninspired. The Orb then shifted gears to a minimal techno style spearheaded by member Thomas Fehlmann, releasing its new material on the record label Kompakt.

History[link]

1988–1990: Paterson & Cauty[link]

Alex Paterson began his music career in the early 1980s as a roadie for the post-punk rock band Killing Joke, for whom his childhood friend Martin "Youth" Glover played bass.^[5] After leaving Killing Joke in 1986, Paterson met future KLF member Jimmy Cauty^[6] and the duo began DJ-ing and producing music together under the name The Orb. Paterson and Cauty's first release was a 1988 acid house anthem track, "Tripping on Sunshine", released on the German record compilation Eternity Project One.^[7] The following year, The Orb released the Kiss EP, a four-track EP based on samples from New York City's KISS FM.^[7] It was released on Paterson and Glover's new record label WAU! Mr. Modo Records, which Paterson and Glover created out of a desire to maintain financial independence from larger record labels.^[6] After spending a weekend of making what Paterson described as "really shit drum sounds", the duo decided to abandon beat-heavy music and instead work on music for after-hours listening by removing the percussion tracks.^[8] Paterson and Cauty began DJ-ing in London and landed a deal for The Orb to play the chill out room at London nightclub Heaven. Resident DJ Paul Oakenfold brought in the duo specifically as ambient DJs for his "The Land of Oz" event at Heaven.^[9] Though The Orb's Monday night performances had only several hardcore followers initially, its chill-out room act grew popular over the course of its six-month stay to the point that the small room was often packed with around 100 people.^[10] The Orb's performances became most popular among weary DJs and clubbers seeking solace from the loud, rhythmic music of the dancefloor.^[11] The Orb would build up melodies using multitrack recordings linked to multiple record decks and a mixer. The group incorporated many CDs, cassettes, and BBC sound effects into the act, often accompanied with pieces of popular dance tracks such as "Sueño Latino."^[10] Though the group used a variety of samples, it avoided heavy rhythm and drums so that the intended ambient atmosphere wasn't disrupted. Most often, the group played dub reggae and other chill out music, which it described as ambient house for the E generation.^[7][12]

	"Loving You" (1989) noicon Clip from The Orb's "Loving You" (which would later become "A Huge Ever Growing Brain...") featuring a Minnie Riperton sound-alike singer. "Little Fluffy Clouds" (1990) noicon Clip from The Orb's "Little Fluffy Clouds", featuring vocal samples of Rickie Lee Jones.
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Throughout 1989 the Orb, along with Martin Glover, developed a music production style that incorporated ambient music with a diverse array of samples and recordings. The British music press would later label the music ambient house. The culmination of the groups musical work came toward the end of the same year when they recorded a session for John Peel on BBC Radio 1. The track, then known as "Loving You," was largely improvisational and featured a wealth of sound effects and samples from science fiction radio plays, nature sounds, and Minnie Riperton's "Lovin' You."^[13] For its release as a single on the record label Big Life, the Orb changed the title to "A Huge Ever Growing Pulsating Brain That Rules from the Centre of the Ultraworld." Upon the single's release, Riperton's management forced Big Life to remove the unlicensed Riperton sample, ensuring that only the initial first-week release of the single contained the original vocals of Minnie Riperton; subsequent pressings used vocals from a sound-alike.^[9] Despite its running time of 22 minutes, the sample-laden single reached #78 on the British singles charts. Soon thereafter, the Orb was commissioned by Dave Stewart to remix his top-20 single "Lily Was Here." The group obliged and was soon offered several more remix jobs from artists including Erasure and System 7.

In 1990, Paterson and Cauty held several recording sessions at Cauty's studio, Trancentral. When offered an album deal by Big Life, the Orb found itself at a crossroads: Cauty preferred that the Orb release its music through his KLF Communications label, whereas Paterson wanted to ensure that the group did not become a side-project of The KLF.^[14] Because of these issues, Cauty and Paterson split in April 1990, with Paterson keeping the name the Orb.^[11] As a result of the break-up, Cauty removed Paterson's contributions from the in-progress recordings and released the album as Space on KLF Communications.^[15] Also out of these sessions came The KLF album Chill Out, on which Paterson appeared in an uncredited role.^[6][16]

Following the split, Paterson began working with Youth on the track "Little Fluffy Clouds". The group incorporated samples from Steve Reich's Electric Counterpoint and vocal clips from an interview with Rickie Lee Jones in which she recalls picturesque images from her childhood.^[17] While Reich was flattered by the Orb's use of his work,^[18] Jones pursued the issue in the legal system.^[11] Big Life chose to settle out of court for an undisclosed sum of money for use of her voice on the Orb's recording.^[11] "Little Fluffy Clouds" reached #87 on the British singles chart; however, due to Glover's other production obligations (and subsequently rejoining Killing Joke), he did not become a permanent member of The Orb.^[11] According to an interview on The South Bank Show, Reich demanded twenty-five percent of royalties from the use of his "Electric Counterpoint" (performed by guitarist Pat Metheny) on all sales of "Clouds."

1991–1994: Paterson & Weston[link]

	"Blue Room" (1992) noicon Clip from The Orb's near 40-minute version of "Blue Room," the longest single to chart in the United Kingdom.
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In 1991, Paterson invited freelance studio engineer Andy Falconer to join the Orb and was closely followed by energetic studio engineer Kris "Thrash" Weston.^[19] Steve Hillage, whom Patterson had met while DJ-ing in London, also joined as a contributing guitarist. Along with producer Thomas Fehlmann, The Orb completed several additional tracks for its first album, The Orb's Adventures Beyond The Ultraworld.^[11] At least six studios and twenty outside musicians were used during the three weeks of recording.^[6] Falconer's and Weston's technical abilities and Hillages's guitar work allowed the group to craft panoramic sounds portraying aspects of space travel, most notably the launch of Apollo 11.^[6] Adventures sold well in the United Kingdom and received praise for its balance of ambient music, house music, and sampling.^[20] Retrospectively, Adventures is considered ground-breaking for changing the way musicians view sampling and as a seminal work for the genres of ambient and dance music.^[21] The completion of Adventures saw the departure of Andy Falconer, whose last contribution was to one of the Orb's Peel Sessions. To promote the release of an edited single-disc version for an American release on Mercury Records, the Orb embarked on their first tour of the United States beginning in Phoenix, Arizona, in October 1991.^[22]

In late 1991 and early 1992, Paterson and Weston wrote their next single, "Blue Room". Assisting with the recording was bassist Jah Wobble, keyboardist Miquette Giraudy, and guitarist Hillage.^[11] Despite its playing time of almost 40 minutes, "Blue Room" entered the British charts at #12 and peaked at #8, making it the longest track to reach the charts.^[11] The Orb promoted this single with a "legendary avant-garde"^[23] performance on Top of the Pops where Patterson and Weston played a game of chess in space suits while footage of dolphins and an edited version of "Blue Room" ran in the background.^[9][24] In July 1992, U.F.Orb was released featuring "Blue Room" and, in the US release, The Orb's next single, "Assassin". Weston integrated his technical and creative expertise with Paterson's Eno-influenced ambience on U.F.Orb, combining "drum and bass rhythms" with "velvet keyboards" and "rippling synth lines".^[6] U.F.Orb reached #1 on the British album charts to the shock of critics, who were surprised that fans had embraced what journalists considered to be progressive rock.^[19][24] Despite The Orb's success, Paterson and Weston preferred to avoid personal publicity and instead allow their music to be the focus of attention.^[25] Because of this partial anonymity and The Orb's rotating membership, they are often recognised as more of a musical collective than a "band".^[26]

Over the next year and a half, Paterson and Weston continued to produce new material, but releases stalled when Paterson began to feel that Big Life was trying to dictate the direction of The Orb's music.^[14] This led to intense disagreements with Big Life and The Orb soon left the label to sign a deal with Island Records.^[27] Their first release on Island Records was the live album Live 93, which gathered highlights from The Orb's recent performances in Europe and Asia. It featured The Orb's live crew of Paterson, Weston, producers Nick Burton and Simon Phillips, as well as audio engineer Andy Hughes, who had stepped in previously when Weston had decided to stop touring.^[8] The Orb's first studio production on Island Records was Pomme Fritz, a chaotic EP noted for its heavy use of strange samples and its lack of conventional harmonies.^[28] Though Pomme Fritz reached as high as #6 on the British charts, critics panned it as "doodling".^[6][29] Even Island Records "hated it" and "didn't understand it at all", according to Paterson.^[27] Soon after production finished on Pomme Fritz, Paterson, Weston, and Orb contributor Thomas Fehlmann joined with Robert Fripp to form the group FFWD as a side project. FFWD released a single self-titled album on Paterson's Inter-Modo label, which Fehlmann later described as "an Orb track which became so long that it became a whole album!".^[6] Due to this aimlessness, FFWD lacked an artistic goal and disbanded after a single release.^[6] Soon after the release of FFWD in August 1994, Weston suddenly quit The Orb. Paterson claimed that Weston's departure was due to Weston's desire to have more control in The Orb.^[8] However, in an interview with i-D, Weston attributed the split to Paterson, saying that Paterson "didn't do his 50 per cent of the work."^[29] Paterson reaffirmed the status of The Orb saying, "The Orb is The Orb, and nothing can change that" and continued work with Hughes and Fehlmann.^[30]

1995–2001: Paterson, Fehlmann & Hughes[link]

Following Weston's departure from The Orb, Thomas Fehlmann joined as a full-time studio member, though he would not always participate in live performances. Paterson, Hughes, and Fehlmann then finished producing the album Orbus Terrarum, on which Paterson and Weston had been working. Orbus Terrarum, released in 1995, featured more "earthbound" and "organic" sounds than their previous trippy science fiction themed music.^[8][31] Orbus Terrarum suffered, as Paterson described it, "a good kicking" at the hands of the British press,^[32] who described it as "generic" and a low point for Paterson's creativity.^[29][33] Orbus Terrarum alienated many of the group's fans,^[34] causing the album to only reach #20 on the British charts.^[35] American critics, however, gave it great acclaim including Rolling Stone who made it their album of the month, citing the album's symphonic flow coupled with The Orb's "uniquely British wit".^[6][36][37] After a long world tour, The Orb, with Andy Hughes and Steve Hillage, settled down to produce their next album, Orblivion—the process of which saw a return to their spacy sounds. Though Orblivion was recorded in May 1996, it was not released until almost a year later, due to Island Records' desire to promote it as a follow up to U2's techno-rock album Pop.^[38] Orblivion sold well in Europe as well as the United States, where it reached the Billboard Top 200. The first Orblivion single, "Toxygene", was the highest charting single by The Orb, reaching #4 in the United Kingdom on 8 February 1997. Despite high sales, Orblivion received a lukewarm reception from the British press.^[3][39] As with Orbus Terrarum, Orblivion was better received by American critics, including Rolling Stone, who praised its "contrast of chaos and euphony".^[6][34] Meanwhile, the stresses of touring sat heavily on Paterson; he considered retiring The Orb, but ultimately continued touring and producing.^[40]

Paterson and Fehlmann, along with usual collaborators Hughes, Burton, and Phillips, wrote and produced Cydonia for a planned 1999 release.^[11] Featured on the album were appearances from Robert Fripp, John Roome (Witchman), and Fil Le Gonidec, one of The Orb's live performers. Singers Nina Walsh and Aki Omori appeared on two tracks each, providing vocals and co-writing lyrics with Paterson. Paterson felt that this new direction of songwriting for The Orb was more similar to the experimental work of Orbus Terrarum than to the techno-pop of Orblivion.^[41] As Island Records was in a period of restructuring due to its recent purchase by Universal Music Group, Cydonia was not released until 2001.^[27][42] Upon release, critics noted that Cydonia merged together pop, trance, and ambient-dub music, which they felt to be a conglomeration of bland vocals and uninventive ambience that lacked the appeal of The Orb's earlier work.^[42][43][44] NME harshly described it as "a stillborn relic, flawed throughout by chronically stunted ambitions" and describing its only appropriate audience to be "old ravers" seeking nostalgia.^[45] Not only did the album receive poor reviews, but The Orb was generally regarded by the British press as past their prime and an "ambient dinosaur" out of place in the current dance music environment.^[5][43] After the release of Cydonia, Hughes left the group for undisclosed reasons, becoming "another acrimonious departure from The Orb" according to The Guardian.^[29]

2001–2004: Paterson, Fehlmann & Phillips[link]

In 2001, Alex Paterson formed the record label Badorb.com as an outlet for Orb members' side projects. To promote both Badorb.com and Cydonia, The Orb toured internationally, including their first visit to the United States in four years.^[46] NME described The Orb's tour as "charming" and that The Orb was "freed from the Floydian pretensions that dogged the band throughout the mid-'90s.^[47]

The Orb, now composed of Paterson, Phillips and Fehlmann, with guest John Roome, accepted an invitation to join the Area:One concert tour with Moby, Paul Oakenfold, New Order and other alternative and electronic artists.^[48] Though The Orb was paired with more mainstream artists during the tour such as Incubus, Paterson and Fehlmann chose to make their next releases a series of several low-key EPs for German label Kompakt in 2002. The Orb found critical success on Kompakt;^[49] however, Badorb.com collapsed soon after releasing the compilation Bless You. Badorb.com had released fourteen records over the course of fourteen months from artists including Guy Pratt (Conduit), Ayumi Hamasaki, and Takayuki Shiraishi, as well as The Orb's three-track Daleth of Elphame EP. Though Badorb.com was an internet-based record label, they only sold vinyl releases (with one exception, the aforementioned Orb EP), which Paterson later remarked was a poor idea because "not many people... have record players".^[50]

	"Aftermath" (2004) noicon Featuring rapping by MC Soom-T, "Aftermath" showcased The Orb's willingness to experiment with other genres on Bicycles & Tricycles.
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Though their musical style had changed somewhat since the 1990s, The Orb continued to use their odd synthetic sounds on 2004's Bicycles & Tricycles,^[51] to mixed reviews. The Daily Telegraph praised Bicycles & Tricycles as being "inclusive, exploratory, and an enjoyable journey";^[52] however, other publications dismissed it as "stoner dub" and irrelevant to current electronic music.^[53][54][55] Like Cydonia, Bicycles & Tricycles featured vocals, including female rapper MC Soom-T who added a hip hop twist to the album.^[56] The Orb left Island Records and released the album on Cooking Vinyl and Sanctuary Records. To promote the album, the band began a UK tour with dub reggae artist Mad Professor. Though The Orb still pulled in large crowds, The Guardian noted that they lacked the intensity found in their earlier performances.^[57]

2004–2007: Paterson & Fehlmann, The Transit Kings[link]

After two more EPs on Kompakt, The Orb (now composed of only Paterson and Fehlmann) released Okie Dokie It's The Orb on Kompakt, which featured new material in addition to tweaked versions of their previous Kompakt output.^[49] By this stage, the Allmusic observed, Thomas Fehlmann had become the primary creative figure in The Orb, "inhibiting Alex Paterson's whimsical impulses".^[49] Because of this, Okie Dokie was considerably more focused and less "goofy" than Cydonia and Bicycles & Tricycles.^[49][58] Fehlmann's trademark hypnotic loops and delays made him the center of Okie Dokie production and, according to Pitchfork Media, made it "difficult to say where [Paterson] is in the picture".^[59] The Orb's releases with Kompakt gained The Orb back much of their musical credibility with the press and showed that The Orb could "age gracefully".^[58][60]

In August 2006, the founders of The Orb - Paterson and Cauty - released Living in a Giant Candle Winking at God, their debut album as the Transit Kings with Guy Pratt and Pratt's associate, Dom Beken.^[61] The album featured appearances from The Smiths guitarist Johnny Marr and comedian Simon Day.^[62] Beken described Living in a Giant Candle Winking at God as "self-consciously musically written and less sample-based" compared to the members' previous work.^[63] Living had been in production since 2001, but due to members' other obligations, it was delayed for several years.^[61] The album received mixed critical reactions, with reviewers such as The Sun comparing the album favorably to the music of DJ Shadow and Röyksopp^[64] while other publications, such as The Times, called it "Orb-lite" and proclaimed it to be "Deep Forest-style sludge".^[65] Soon after the album's release, Cauty left the Transit Kings on "extended leave", leaving the project in indefinite limbo.^[63] Paterson and Beken would reunite in 2008 as High Frequency Bandwidth, an ambient hip hop group on the Malicious Damage label.

2007–present[link]

The Orb's next studio album, The Dream was released in Japan in 2007 and the following year in the United States and United Kingdom. Fehlmann is absent on The Dream and Paterson was instead reunited with Martin Glover and joined by Tim Bran of Dreadzone.^[2] The album features more of a return to The Orb's sounds of the early 1990s, with peculiar vocals and playful samples.^[66][67] The Orb also brought in jazz and house music singer Juliet Roberts^[68] and guitarist Steve Hillage.^[2] The Orb's live band currently^[when?] consists of Paterson, The Corpral (vocals), Keith York (drums/percussion), Fil Le Gonidec, and Glover.

After July 2006 re-release of The Orb's Adventures Beyond the Ultraworld 3-CD Deluxe Edition, 2007 and 2008 saw releases of expanded 2-CD editions of the band's subsequent regular studio records: U.F.Orb, Pomme Fritz EP, Orbus Terrarum, Orblivion and Cydonia. In Autumn of 2008 a double-cd compilation of BBC Radio 1 sessions called The Orb: Complete BBC Sessions 1989-2001 was released.

In May 2009, the British Malicious Damage Records (run by the members of Killing Joke) announced the release of The Orb's ninth regular studio album Baghdad Batteries (Orbsessions Volume III) on September 11, 2009.^[69] A reunification of Paterson and his long-term collaborator Thomas Fehlmann who last worked together on Okie Dokie It's the Orb on Kompakt, the album was promoted with a launch party with Paterson and Fehlmann performing the whole album live at The-Situation Modern in Clapham, England on 10 September.^[69] A track "Chocolate Fingers" was uploaded onto the label's MySpace profile.^[70] The 11-track album is said to be the third in the Orbsessions series, although unlike the first two outtakes parts composed of brand new material, recorded at Fehlmann's Berlin studio.^[69]