eastern Hellenistic material culture. Hellenism became indigenous to Jew-
ish Palestine, embedded in its culture and in the self-definition of its ruling
dynasty. Symptomatic of that process is how Simon Maccabee (high priest
and ethnarch 142-134b.c.e.) integrated elements of Greek architecture
into his renovated family tomb in Modein (1 Macc. 13:23-30; Josephus,Ant.
13.210-12).
Until well into the second centuryb.c.e., there are no criteria to dis-
tinguish a Jewish site from a non-Jewish one apart from general geograph-
ical considerations, inscriptions (still very rare), and textual information.
Both Jewish and non-Jewish populations to a very large extent used the
same pool of material culture, which often followed regional rather than
religious patterns.
The Seleucid garrison in the Akra of Jerusalem was captured by Simon
in 141b.c.e.(1 Macc. 14:49-52). The subsequent territorial acquisitions by
Simon, Hyrcanus, and Alexander Jannaeus followed a religiously inspired
agenda. Pagans were expelled from cities such as Joppa and Gezer and re-
populated by Jews; strongholds like Beth-Zur were destroyed and neutral-
ized by settling Jews in the vicinity; and in the rural hinterland new, small
settlements were established that guarded the hills and exploited regional
agricultural resources.
John Hyrcanus I (134-104b.c.e.) undertook an aggressive expansion
that brought about much destruction especially in Samaria (Gerizim, Sa-
maria, Shechem) and in the Galilee. Often the new settlements were ori-
ented toward new markets and therefore lacked luxury pottery that had of-
ten abounded before (as in Gezer). The presence ofmiqva}ot(ritual baths)
in houses signals new religious practices, as in Gezer and the Sepphoris
acropolis. Next to expansion, Hyrcanus’s activities were directed toward
internal consolidation. Strongholds were erected at Masada, Machaerus,
Hyrcania, and Alexandrion. Although these fortresses lack the highly com-
plex palace structures characteristic of the subsequent Herodian period,
they were not only intended for purely military purposes.Palace Architecture
Palace architecture was not confined to fortresses, as the palace in Jericho
demonstrates. Jannaeus integrated the residential complex there into a
large estate and built a highly effective water supply system. The palace
consisted of a fortified section situated on a moat overlooking Wadi Qelt,329Archaeology, Papyri, and InscriptionsEERDMANS -- Early Judaism (Collins and Harlow) final text
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