The Jewish province of Judaea (which embraced the
lands of the old Hebrew kingdom of Judah) was ruled
by the Ptolemies until it fell under the control of the
Seleucids by 200B.C.E. In the reign of the Seleucid king
Antiochus (an-TY-uh-kuss) IV (175–163B.C.E.), conflict
erupted in Judaea. Hellenistic monarchs were generally
tolerant of all religions, but problems with Rome
prompted Antiochus to try to impose more cultural
and religious unity throughout his kingdom. When he
sent troops to Jerusalem and seized the Temple, he
sparked a Jewish uprising led by Judas Maccabaeus
(JOO-dus mak-uh-BEE-uss). The rebels succeeded in
recapturing the Temple in 164B.C.E., a joyous event
that has been celebrated every year since in the Jewish
holiday of Hanukkah (HAH-nuh-kuh) (Hebrew for
“rededication”). Although the conflict in Judaeacontinued, the Seleucids ultimately made concessions
and allowed the Jews considerable freedom.
But large numbers of Jews no longer lived in Judaea.
There was a large Jewish population in Egypt, particu-
larly in Alexandria, as well as Jewish settlements
throughout the cities of Asia Minor and Syria. In each
city, Jews generally set up a synagogue and formed a
private association for worship as other foreigners did.
But some city authorities also allowed the Jews to form
a political corporation that gave them greater rights
than other resident aliens. Most important, they gained
the privilege to live by their own laws and their own ju-
dicial system. The Jews were not really interested in citi-
zenship in the cities in which they resided because full
citizenship required worship of the city’s gods, which
was anathema to Jews, who believed only in Yahweh.Chapter Summary
While the Greekcity-states were pursuing their squabbles, to
their north a new and powerful kingdom—Macedonia—
emerged. Under King Philip II, the Macedonians undertook mili-
tary reforms, defeated a Greek allied army in 338B.C.E., and
then consolidated their control over the Greek peninsula.
Although the independent Greek city-states lost their freedom
when they were conquered by the Macedonians, Greek culture
did not die, and a new age, known as the Hellenistic era, eventu-
ally came into being.
That era began with the conquest of
the Persian Empire by Alexander the
Great, the young successor to his fa-
ther, Philip II. Alexander, vowing to
avenge the Persian attacks on Greece,
crossed into Asia Minor with his army
in 334B.C.E. By 330B.C.E., the Persian
Empire had been defeated, but
Alexander, never at rest, moved east-
ward into India. But a rebellion by his
exhausted troops forced him to return to Babylon, where he
died in 323B.C.E. Though a great military leader, Alexander was
not a good political administrator. He failed to establish any
definite structure for the empire he had conquered, and four
Hellenistic kingdoms eventually emerged as his successors.
Within those kingdoms, the resulting society is known as
Hellenistic, meaning Greek-like or “to imitate Greeks.” TheGreek language became dominant throughout the area as
Greek ideas became influential. Greek merchants, artists, phi-
losophers, and soldiers found opportunities and rewards
throughout the Near East, now a world of kingdoms rather
than independent city-states.
The Hellenistic period was, in its own way, a vibrant one.
New cities arose and flourished. New philosophical doctrines—
such as Epicureanism and Stoicism—captured the minds of
many. Sculptors and architects found many opportunities
under the patronage of kings and other wealthy individuals.
Significant achievements occurred in literature and science, as
is evident in the work of Polybius, Euclid, and Archimedes.
Greek culture spread throughout
the Near East and made an
impact wherever it was carried.
In some areas of the Hellenistic
world, queens played an active
role in political life, and many
upper-class women found new
avenues for expressing them-
selves. Although the Hellenistic
era achieved a degree of political stability, by the late third
centuryB.C.E., signs of decline were beginning to multiply,
and the growing power of Rome eventually endangered the
Hellenistic world.Chapter Summary • 91
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