person · P0443
Aristobulus II אריסטובולוס השני
Younger son of Yannai who seized crown and priesthood from his brother — the war "of the kings of the Hasmonean house" in which, the Bavli says, a swine sent up the wall made the land quake. Both brothers appealed to Pompey; the Roman chose Hyrcanus, stormed Jerusalem (63 BCE), and entered the Holy of Holies. Aristobulus was led in triumph and later poisoned by Pompey's partisans.
I. Who
- Hebrew
- אריסטובולוס השני
- Also known as
- Aristobulus ben Yannai
- Era
- second-temple
- Parents
- Alexander Yannai, Shlomtzion
- Children
- Antigonus II Mattityahu
II. When
- Traditional
- c. 3660–3711 AM (ruled 3693–3697)
- Academic
- c. 100–49 BCE; ruled 67–63 BCE
- Lifespan (traditional)
- ≈51 years
- Precision
- approximate
III. Where
- Places
- Jerusalem
V. How do we know
| Claim | Evidence | Confidence | Sources |
|---|---|---|---|
| In the Bavli's account of the civil war he is the king within the walls while Hyrcanus besieged — the war during which the daily offering was bought over the wall until the day of the swine, remembered as the moment "cursed be the man who raises pigs." | rabbinic | ★★★★☆ | |
| Josephus: he took the kingship from Hyrcanus after Shlomtzion's death; the brothers' rival embassies brought Pompey, who besieged the Temple mount, took Jerusalem in 63 BCE, and entered the Holy of Holies (touching nothing); Judea was made tributary, and Aristobulus was carried to Rome for the triumph. | external | ★★★★☆ | |
| AM placement (ruled 3693–3697) 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 | ★★☆☆☆ |