Game of Thrones – Hasmonean Civil War
The Hasmonean story began with the heroic Hanukka tale but ended in a civil war sparked by two rival royal brothers. Two cultural elites – Pharisee and Sadducee – vied for dominance in the death...
Tag Archives: John Hyrcanus
A Brief History of the Hasmoneans
Hasmonean generations (click image to enlarge) All in the Family Priestly families preferred to marry within their own privileged class, but the Hasmoneans took this practice to something of an extreme. Despite the rivalry between...
Pools and Palaces
Oasis in the Desert Famed for its fertility and rare plants, Jericho was the garden of Judea during the Second Temple period, second only to Jerusalem as an urban center. Hot baths and flowing streams,...
