person · P0439

Aristobulus I יהודה אריסטובולוס

Eldest son of Hyrcanus, ruler for a single year — the first Hasmonean, per Josephus, to set the diadem on his head and take the title of king since the Babylonian exile. He imprisoned his mother and brothers and died of illness racked, Josephus says, with remorse over his brother Antigonus's death.

I. Who

Hebrew
יהודה אריסטובולוס
Also known as
Judah Aristobulus, Yehudah Aristobulus
Era
second-temple
Parents
Yochanan Hyrcanus

II. When

Traditional
c. 3620–3657 AM (ruled 3656–3657)
Academic
ruled 104–103 BCE
Lifespan (traditional)
≈37 years
Precision
approximate

III. Where

Places
Jerusalem

V. How do we know

ClaimEvidenceConfidenceSources
Josephus: he transformed the government into a kingdom and was first to put the diadem on his head, four-hundred-and-seventy-one years and three months after the return from the Babylonian captivity; he reigned one year, imprisoned his mother and brothers, and annexed Iturea.
Strabo, quoted by Josephus, remembers him more kindly than Josephus's own account.
external ★★★★☆
AM placement (ruled 3656–3657) is schematic: conventional Josephus- based dates mapped onto the atlas timeline at AM ≈ 3760 − BCE / 3760 + CE, consistent with the Second Temple's destruction at 3828 AM. The lifespan band is widened around the attested career. reconstruction ★★☆☆☆