Hasmonean Period (141 to 37 B.C.)

Two decades after Judah the Maccabee defeated the Seleucid army, Simon Maccabaeus established a dynasty that reigned from 141 to 37 B.C.

One of the rulers during this time was Salome Alexandra (76-67 B.C.), the only female to rule ancient Palestine and the only woman mentioned in the Dead Sea Scrolls. The peace and prosperity she brought to the region more than compensated for the horrible actions of her predecessor, her husband Alexander Jannaeus, and in retrospect her rule became a golden age of ancient Israelite history. Salome had requested that her sons not succeed her after her death, but they did, and the kingdom deteriorated and the Romans were able to seize control of Jerusalem.