Hasmonean dynasty
Ancient Jewish kingdom
The Hasmonean dynasty ruled Judea from roughly 140 to 37 BCE, established after the Maccabean revolt against the Seleucid Empire.
The Hasmoneans combined royal and priestly authority, expanding Jewish territory before internal conflicts and Roman intervention ended their rule.
Hanukkah commemorates events from their founding revolt.
The Hasmonean dynasty represented the last period of Jewish political independence before modern Israel.
Second Temple legal interpreters
- SadduceesPriestly Jewish faction
- EssenesAncient ascetic Hebrew sect
- SanhedrinJewish high court
- HalakhaFormal Jewish legal system
Torah · Second Temple period · sectarianism · Jewish law · scribes · oral tradition · religious authority · piety
Organized resistance to power
- guerrilla warfareIrregular combat using ambushes
- rededicationRenewed formal commitment
- dynastic successionTransfer of power by lineage
- military campaignsOrganized military operations
Renewed formal commitment
- menorahJewish ceremonial lampstand
- miracleSupernatural occurrence beyond explanation
- oilSlippery viscous fluid
- Temple MountJerusalem's contested sacred plateau
priesthood · purification · altar · sanctuary · sacred vessels · worship · sacrifice · restoration
Rome before its emperors
- PompeyFirst Triumvirate member
- HerodAncient Judean king
- civil warDomestic armed conflict
- succession crisisContested leadership transfer
fratricide · loss of independence · internal strife · usurpation · political intrigue · annexation
Triply sacred ancient capital
- SamariaAncient Israelite capital region
- GalileeBiblical northern territory
- territorial expansionIncreasing a state's domain
- fortificationsDefensive barriers against attack
Jericho · Acre · borders · regional power · vassal states
Ancient manuscripts from Judean caves
- AntiquitiesAncient historical objects
- TalmudRabbinic law compilation
- historical recordsPreserved accounts of the past
- archaeologyStudy of physical remnants
Earth-centered astronomical system
- Greek cultureCivilization of Athens, Sparta
- assimilationAbsorbing into a whole
- gymnasiumIndoor athletic facility
- pagan worshipVeneration of non-Abrahamic deities
desecration · foreign rule · Greco-Roman · syncretism · resistance · traditional values
Organized public celebration
- lightsSources of illumination
- dreidelHebrew-lettered spinning top
- latkesFried shredded potato cakes
- geltSlang for cash
celebration · commemoration · victory · religious freedom · dedication · winter festival · Jewish holiday · remembrance
Pharisees
Second Temple legal interpreters
Halakha · Torah · Second Temple period · sectarianism · Jewish law · scribes · oral tradition · religious authority · piety · covenant
revolt
Organized resistance to power
- guerrilla warfareIrregular combat using ambushes
- rededicationRenewed formal commitment
- dynastic successionTransfer of power by lineage
military campaigns · religious zeal · hammer · resistance fighters
rededication
Renewed formal commitment
- menorahJewish ceremonial lampstand
- miracleSupernatural occurrence beyond explanation
- oilSlippery viscous fluid
Temple Mount · priesthood · purification · altar · sanctuary · sacred vessels · worship · sacrifice · restoration · eight days
Roman Republic
Rome before its emperors
succession crisis · fratricide · loss of independence · internal strife · usurpation · political intrigue · annexation
Jerusalem
Triply sacred ancient capital
- SamariaAncient Israelite capital region
- GalileeBiblical northern territory
- territorial expansionIncreasing a state's domain
fortifications · Jericho · Acre · borders · regional power · vassal states
Dead Sea Scrolls
Ancient manuscripts from Judean caves
- AntiquitiesAncient historical objects
- TalmudRabbinic law compilation
- historical recordsPreserved accounts of the past
archaeology · coins · inscriptions · chronology · ancient historians
Ptolemaic
Earth-centered astronomical system
- Greek cultureCivilization of Athens, Sparta
- assimilationAbsorbing into a whole
- gymnasiumIndoor athletic facility
pagan worship · desecration · foreign rule · Greco-Roman · syncretism · resistance · traditional values
festival
Organized public celebration
gelt · celebration · commemoration · victory · religious freedom · dedication · winter festival · Jewish holiday · remembrance · national liberation
- Ancient IsraelIsraelites, Jerusalem, Israel, twelve tribes, Judea
- Ancient JudeaSecond Temple, Judea, Jerusalem, Masada, Herod the Great
- Herodian EraHerod the Great, Judea, tetrarch, Berenice, Salome
- MaccabeesJonathan, Simon, Hanukkah, Chanukah
- Second TempleSecond Temple, Pharisees, Sadducees, Essenes, Maccabees
Hasmonean dynastyRoman occupation
Rome's governance of provinces