Hasmonean
Dynasty
538 BC - Cyrus the Great of Persia conquered the Babylon and took over
its empire. The Achaemenid Empire
spanned from Asia to Africa and Europe.
538–518 BC - Israelites were allowed to return to Judah and rebuilt the Temple ( Ezra 1:1-4 ;
6:13-18).
456 BC - a second group led by Ezra and Nehemiah returned.
334 BC - Alexander the Great defeated the Persian and conquered the
empire. After the death of Alexander,
his generals divided the empire among themselves. Judah became part of the Seleucid Empire.
Maccabees Revolt
During the 2nd century BC, Antiochus IV Epiphanes ruler of
the Seleucid Empire pursued a zealous Hellenizing policy. Jewish religious practices were
forbidden. Mattathias , a rural Jewish
priest from Modiin, Mattathias the Hasmonean killed a Hellenistic Jew who
offered a sacrifice to an idol. Then Mattathias
and his five sons then fled to wilderness of Judah.
After Mattathias death, his son Judas Maccabee led guerrilla attacks
against Seleucid army. Jerusalem was
recaptured and the Temple cleansed. The celebratory
festival of Hanukkah instituted. (
1 Maccabees ; 2 Maccabees ; The Wars of
the Jews )
160 BC - Judas died in a battle.
His brother Jonathan succeeded as army commander and High Priest.
Autonomy
142 BC - Jonathan was assassinated, and was succeeded by Simon. Simon came to terms with Demitrius II
Necator, the Seleucid king. Maccabees
won autonomy, yet the region remained a province of the Seleucid Empire. Simon led the people in peace and prosperity,
until he was assassinated.
129 BC - Judea was freed from Seleucid rule on the death of Antiochus
VII Sidetes, the last Seleucid king.
63 BC - Judea became a protectorate of Roman Empire, coming under the
administration of a governor. Judea was
allowed a king.
Herodian
Dynasty
During the time of the Hasmonean ruler John Hyrcanus conquered Madaba,
Sehechum, Transjordan, Samaria, Galilee and Idumea ( Edom ). Edomites were forced to convert to
Judaism. The Edomites were gradually
integrated into the Judean nation, and some of them reach high ranking
positions.
During the time of Hasmonean ruler Alexander Jannaeus, Edomite Antipas
was appointed governor of Edom. Antipas’
son, Antipater was the chief adviser to
Hasmonean ruler Hyrcanus II.
47 BC - Julius Caesar appointed Antipater as procurator of Judea. Antipater’s sons, Phasael and Herold as
governors of Jerusalem and Galilee respectively.
40 BC - Herod made king of the Jews by the Roman Senate.
19 BC - Herod commissioned expansion of the
Temple.
4 BC - Herod the Great died. Judea
made a Roman province. Judea was divided
among his three sons. Herod Archelaus
ruled Judea, Edom and Samaria. Herold
Philip I ruled Decapolis. Trachonitis and Iturea. Herod Antipas ruled Galilee and Perea.
6 AD - Judea made a Roman province.
34 AD - Agrippa I ruled Galilee and Perea. In 41 AD Judea added to his rule.
70 AD - Herod’s Temple destroyed by
Roman troops during the Seige of Jerusalem, ending the Great Jewish Revolt.
92 AC - Herodian Dynasty ended.
Judea fully incorporated into Roman province.
Roman
Imperial
131 AD - Roman emperor Hadrian renamed Jerusalem “Aelia Capitolina”,
Judea renamed “Palaestina”
285 AD - Roman emperor Diocletian divided the Roman Empire’s
administration into eastern and western halves.
324 AD - Roman emperor Constantine I transferred the eastern capital
from Nicomedia to Constantinople.
395 AD - following the death of Roman emperor Theodosius I, Roman Empire
divided politically
476 AD - fall of Western Roman Empire.
Byzantine
Empire
480 AD - Western Empire emperor Zeno separated himself from Roman
Empire.
614 AD, Jerusalem conquered by Persian, Jews were left to self-govern.
617 AD, Byzatine recaptured Jerusalem, Judaism banned, Jews fled to
Baltic.
Arab
Caliphs
636 AD - Palestine conquered by the Arab
691 AD - Dome of the Rock constructed on Temple Mount.
705 AD - Al-Aqsa Mosquue constructed on Temple Mount.
Crusader
States Vs Ayyubid Dynasty
1071 AD - Muslims of Seljuk Turks defeated the Byzantine army in
Manzikert. Byzantine emperor Alexis I plead Pope Urban II of Roman Catholic in
Rome to the aid to free Jerusalem from Muslim rule.
Crusader states were created in the Levant during the crusades :
1098–1149 : County of Edessa
1098–1268 : Principality of Antioch
1099–1291 : Kingdom of Jerusalem
1104–1289 : County of Tripoli
1187 - Egyptian Muslims of Ayyubid Dynasty concurred Jerusalem.
1193 - civil war within Ayyubid Dynasty
1250 - Mamluk overthrew Ayyubid Dynasty in Egypt
1260 - Mongols overthrew Ayyubid Dynasty in Aleppo
1341 - fall of Ayyubid Dynasty
Mamluk
Dynasties
1260 - Mamluk Sultan Qutuz defeated Mongols in Battle of Ain Jalut,
conquered Palestine
1291 - Mamluk Sultan Al-Ashraf Khalil conquered Acre, capital of Kingdom
of Jerusalem
Ottoman
1516 - Turkish Ottoman Empire Sultan Selim II conquered Palestine
1799 – Napoleon briefly occupied Palestine
1878 – First modern Jewish settlement founded in Petah Tikva.
Large scare return of Jew from the diaspora back to Israel began in
1882.
1882-1903 : First Aliyah – 35,000 Jews returned
1904-1914 : Second Aliyah – 40,000 Jews returned
1919-1923 : Third Aliyah – 40,000 Jews returned
1924-1929 : Fourth Aliyah – 82,000 Jews returned
1929-1939 : Fifth Aliyah – 250,000 Jews returned
1909 – First Hebrew-speakng city, Ahuzat Bayit ( later Tel Aviv )
established.
