Maccabean Revolt
The Maccabean Revolt was an insurrection by Jewish patriots (the Maccabees) against the Seleucid Empire and parties who wished to adopt Greek culture. The Seleucid Empire, which controlled present-day Syria and Israel, sought to make the Jewish people more Greek-like. The Seleucid Emperor Antiochus IV Epiphanes installed a Greek idol Zeus in Jerusalem's Temple and forbade Jewish practices. Jewish individuals who wished to keep their identity and traditions did not like what Seleucids were doing and decided to fight against them. Judah Maccabee and his brothers led the rebellion, liberated Jerusalem, and restored the Temple. The Maccabees won the war and reestablished the kingdom of Judah.
Maccabean Revolt Media
Mattathias slaying the Jewish apostate, painting by Philippe De Loutherbourg
Territory under Simon's control
Topographic map of Palestine at the start of the Hasmonean dynasty
Jewish National Fund stamp (1938) invoking the Maccabees
Sculpture commemorating the Maccabean revolt by Benno Elkan; part of the Knesset Menorah
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