Editing Hasmonean dynasty (section)

==Background==
[[File:Diadochen1.png|thumb|left|At the beginning of the second century BC, the Seleucid Empire (in yellow) expanded into Judea at the expense of the Ptolemaic Kingdom (blue).]]
{{History of Israel}}
{{History of Palestine}}
The lands of the former [[Kingdom of Israel (Samaria)|Kingdom of Israel]] and [[Kingdom of Judah]] ({{circa|lk=no|722}}–586 BC), had been occupied in turn by [[Assyria]], [[Babylonia]], the [[Achaemenid Empire]], and [[Alexander the Great]]'s Hellenic [[Macedonia (ancient kingdom)|Macedonian empire]] ({{circa|lk=no|330}} BC), although Jewish religious practice and culture had persisted and even flourished during certain periods. The entire region was heavily contested between the successor states of Alexander's empire, the Seleucid Empire and Ptolemaic Kingdom, during the six [[Syrian Wars]] of the 3rd–1st centuries BC: "After two centuries of peace under the Persians, the Hebrew state found itself once more caught in the middle of power struggles between two great empires: the Seleucid state with its [[Antioch|capital in Syria]] to the north and the Ptolemaic state, with its [[Alexandria|capital in Egypt]] to the south. ... Between 319 and 302 BC, Jerusalem changed hands seven times."<ref name="Hooker">Hooker, Richard. {{cite web|title=Yavan in the House of Shem. Greeks and Jews 332–63 BC|url=http://www.wsu.edu:8000/~dee/HEBREWS/HEBREWS.HTM|access-date=2006-01-08|archive-date=29 August 2006|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20060829230214/http://www.wsu.edu:8000/~dee/HEBREWS/HEBREWS.HTM|url-status=dead}} World Civilizations Learning Modules. Washington State University, 1999.</ref>

Under [[Antiochus III the Great]], the Seleucids wrested control of Judea from the Ptolemies for the final time, defeating [[Ptolemy V Epiphanes]] at the [[Battle of Panium]] in 200 BC.{{sfn|Schäfer|2003|p=24}}{{sfn|Schwartz|2009|p=30}} Seleucid rule over the Jewish parts of the region then resulted in the rise of Hellenistic cultural and religious practices: "In addition to the turmoil of war, there arose in the Jewish nation pro-Seleucid and pro-Ptolemaic parties; and the schism exercised great influence upon the Judaism of the time. It was in [[Antioch]] that the Jews first made the acquaintance of Hellenism and of the more corrupt sides of Greek culture; and it was from Antioch that [[Judea]] henceforth was ruled."<ref>Ginzberg, Lewis. {{cite web|title=Antiochus III The Great|url=http://www.jewishencyclopedia.com/view.jsp?artid=1588&letter=A&search=Antiochus%20III|access-date=2007-01-23}} ''Jewish Encyclopedia''.</ref>