institution · I0052
Beit Chashmonai בית חשמונאי
The priestly house of Mattityahu of Modiin, which rose against the Seleucid persecution, rededicated the Temple (Chanukah), and ruled Yehudah as high priests, then kings, until Herod and Rome destroyed the line. From Shimon's confirmation by the great assembly to Antigonus II's execution, its rulers carry reign-roles here. Its kings' quarrels with the sages (Yannai) and with each other (the brothers' war that invited Pompey) frame the zugot era.
I. Who
- Hebrew
- בית חשמונאי
- Also known as
- Hasmonean dynasty, Chashmonaim, Maccabees
- Era
- second-temple
II. When
- Traditional
- c. 3597–3724 AM (from the rededication of the Temple to the fall of Antigonus II)
- Academic
- c. 164–37 BCE (independent rule from 142 BCE)
- Duration
- ≈127 years
- Precision
- approximate
III. Where
- Places
- Jerusalem
V. How do we know
| Claim | Evidence | Confidence | Sources |
|---|---|---|---|
| Mattityahu, a priest of the sons of Yoariv from Jerusalem dwelling in Modiin, refused the king's decree, struck down the royal officer at the altar, and fled to the hills with his sons, crying "Whoever is zealous for the Torah, follow me!" — the start of the revolt.
I Maccabees is Second Temple literature preserved in Greek, outside Tanakh; it is the closest source to the events.
|
external tradition | ★★★★☆ | |
| The Bavli's account of Chanukah: when the Chashmonaim prevailed, they found one uncontaminated cruse of oil under the seal of the kohen gadol, and it burned eight days; the next year these were fixed as festival days of Hallel and thanksgiving. | rabbinic | ★★★★★ | |
| The great assembly of priests, people, and elders decreed that Shimon be leader and high priest forever, "until a faithful prophet should arise" — the dynasty's constitutional charter (140 BCE). | external | ★★★★☆ | |
| The line ended when Herod, appointed king by the Roman senate, took Jerusalem in 37 BCE; Antigonus II, the last Hasmonean king, was executed by Marc Antony — per Josephus, the first king Rome put to death by the axe. | external | ★★★★☆ | |
| The AM band is schematic: conventional dates (rededication 164 BCE, Herod's conquest 37 BCE) mapped onto the atlas timeline at AM ≈ 3760 − BCE, consistent with the Second Temple's destruction at 3828 AM. | reconstruction | ★★☆☆☆ |