Hasmonean
168–64 BCE · 4 snapshots
Watch the boundaries of biblical-era polities shift across a draggable timeline. Click any place to see its affiliation in all 13 periods, scriptural references and archaeology notes.
Snapshots
The Maccabean Revolt and Judean Autonomy
161 BCE
Antiochus IV desecrates the Temple; Judas Maccabeus leads a revolt, retakes Jerusalem and rededicates the Temple in 164 BCE.
- Leader of JudahJudas Maccabeus
- Seleucid KingAntiochus IV and Demetrius I
- Scripture
- 1 Macc 1-4; Dan 11:29-35
- Archaeology & dating
- Hellenistic period; Modein, the Emmaus battlefield and the Acra in Jerusalem
John Hyrcanus Annexes Idumea and Samaria
111 BCE
John Hyrcanus annexes Idumea and compels circumcision, destroys the Samaritan temple on Mount Gerizim, and greatly expands the kingdom.
- Hasmonean High PriestJohn Hyrcanus
- Scripture
- 1 Macc 16; Josephus, Antiquities 13.9
- Archaeology & dating
- Late Hellenistic period; Idumean conversion and the destruction of the Gerizim temple in 108 BCE
Hasmonean Kingdom Expansion
96 BCE
The Hasmonean kingdom conquers Galilee and the coastal towns, briefly approaching the extent of David and Solomon's realm.
- Hasmonean KingAlexander Jannaeus
- Queen RegentSalome Alexandra
- Scripture
- Josephus, Antiquities 13.15; Dead Sea Scrolls (Qumran community)
- Archaeology & dating
- Late Hellenistic to Hasmonean; Qumran and the early structures at Masada
Alexander Jannaeus' Maximum Extent
81 BCE
The kingdom reaches its greatest extent under Alexander Jannaeus, yet Pharisee-Sadducee conflict brings unrest; after his death the queen rules for nine years.
- Hasmonean KingAlexander Jannaeus
- Queen RegentSalome Alexandra (76-67 BCE)
- Scripture
- Josephus, Antiquities 13.15-16; Ps 118 (traditional association)
- Archaeology & dating
- Hasmonean period; the expansion of Jerusalem and the palaces at Masada
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Boundaries are schematic approximations, not survey-grade geography. This is a historical-geography study tool and takes no position on matters of faith.