maccabean revolt

maccabean revolt Latest

Jan 2 Blog

Antiochus Epiphanes—The Bible’s Most Notoriously Forgotten Villain

Many names come to mind when someone mentions the great “villains” of the Bible. Some are foreign powers, like the Pharaoh of the Exodus or […]

Dec 28 Blog

Understanding the Jewish Menorah

By: Biblical Archaeology Society Staff

The Jewish menorah—especially the Temple menorah, a seven-branched candelabra that stood in the Temple—is the most enduring and iconic Jewish symbol. But what did the Temple menorah actually look like? Learn more in this post and view a number of important menorah depictions from antiquity.

Feb 9 Blog

The Emmaus Trail

By: Henri Gourinard

In this BHD post, Henri Gourinard, master tour guide and lecturer at the Polis Institute in Jerusalem, describes the competing views on the location of […]

Nov 28 Blog

Modi’in: Where the Maccabees Lived

By: Robin Ngo

Modi’in was the hometown of the Maccabees, the heroes of the Maccabean revolt against the Seleucid king who ruled over Judea. Have excavations conducted within the modern Israeli city of Modi’in finally exposed the Jewish village that the Maccabees called home?

Nov 19 Blog

Hanukkah Stories Brought to Light

By: Nathan Steinmeyer

Just in time for Hanukkah, the Israel Antiquities Authority (IAA) announced the discovery of a Hellenistic fortified structure believed to have been destroyed by the […]

Sep 21 Blog

The Seleucid Akra: 2,200-Year-Old Jerusalem Fortress Uncovered?

By: Robin Ngo

Archaeologists excavating in the City of David may have found the fortress that Seleucid King Antiochus constructed following his conquest of Jerusalem around 167 B.C.E.

Jun 20 Blog

Hasmonean Coin Hoard Comes to Light at Modi’in

By: Eli Baker

After 2,140 years, a hoard of silver coins dating to the Hasmonean Period has once again seen the light of day.

Sep 25 Blog

Where the Heroes of the Maccabean Revolt Lie

By: Robin Ngo

Have archaeologists located the elusive Tomb of the Maccabees, described in ancient sources as a towering stone monument with pyramids?

Aug 26 Blog

Sectarianism in the Second Temple Period

By: Lawrence H. Schiffman

In part three of his study on schisms in Jewish history, Lawrence H. Schiffman examines sectarianism in the Second Temple Period.

Jul 14 Blog

New Huqoq Mosaics

By: Biblical Archaeology Society Staff

New mosaics from the fifth-century C.E. Huqoq synagogue in Israel were found during the 2013 excavation season.

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