The Maccabees were a family of Jewish rebels who led an uprising against the Seleucid king Antiochus IV Epiphanes in the second century BCE. The revolt began when the priest Mattathias of Modi'in refused to carry out a pagan sacrifice ordered by the king's officials, who were also banning Jewish religious practices. His son Judah, called Maccabeus, led the fighting and recaptured Jerusalem, where the Temple was cleansed and rededicated, an event that is celebrated by the festival of Hanukkah. Later members of the family established the Hasmonean dynasty, which ruled an independent Jewish state until Rome took control in the first century BCE. The story is told in the books of the Maccabees.
Before and after
- 183 BCEDeath of Hannibal
- from 180 BCE to 10 CEIndo-Greek Kingdoms
- 2nd century BCEWinged Victory of Samothrace
- from 171 BCE to 168 BCEThird Macedonian War
- 167 BCERise of Maccabees
- 167 BCERise of Hasmonean dynasty
- from 167 BCE to 160 BCEMaccabean Revolt
- from 2nd century BCE to 2nd centuryProto–Three Kingdoms of Korea
- from 149 BCE to 146 BCEThird Punic War
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- 245 CERise of Neoplatonism
- c. 330 CEKing Ezana converts Aksum to Christianity
- 27 February 380 CEChristianity becomes the state religion of Rome
The era
This moment belongs to the Ancient civilizations (3,200 BCE to 500 CE), writing, cities and empires. You can also browse everything in the 2nd century BCE.