History Pages - part 7

Alexander & the Hellenistic Period : 333 - 63 BC

 

Greek culture predominated throughout the Middle East. A form of the Greek language became the lingua franca for the whole region - the "Common Language" or the "Koine". Koine Greek was the language in which the New Testament was written. The land of Israel was in the path of the two main empires, Egypt and Persia, and became a pawn in the political struggles.

All dates are approximate.

Alexander	Post-Alexander	Dynasties	General Time-Line

Alexander the Great

356 BC - birth of Alexander, to Philip II, King of Macedon, and Queen Olympia
336 BC - Alexander succeeded to the throne of his father Philip II of Macedon
334 BC - Alexander began the conquest of the Persian Empire with 30,000 infantry, 5,000 cavalry, no navy, and no money
333 BC - Alexander invaded Israel
332 BC - Alexander took Jerusalem and also founded the city of Alexandria in Egypt
331 BC - Alexander defeated Darius III of Persia
330 BC - Alexander entered Babylon
327 BC - Alexander invaded India
326 BC - his troops refused to go further, and his generals forced him to turn back
323 BC - Alexander died in Babylon

The empire was divided amongst his generals Seleucis, Ptolemy, Antigonus, and some others who were either killed or took smaller pieces of territory.
His mother, his wife and his posthumous son were killed in the struggle for power which ensued.
His general Ptolemy took his body to Egypt for burial.
Greek became the language of commerce throughout the Middle East

General Time Line of People and Events

336 BC

Zeno, Greek philosopher, founder of the Stoic school

335 BC

Aristotle returned to Athens and founded the Peripatetic (walking-about) School of Philosophy

323 BC

Euclid's "Elements" - fundamentals of geometry. Euclid was teaching in Alexandria

322 BC

Death of Aristotle at age 63

307 BC

Ptolemy Soter began building the Museum and Library of Alexandria

304 BC

Ptolemy captured Jerusalem

300-270 BC

Simon the Just - one of the last Men of the Great Assembly. Repaired the Temple and fortified Jerusalem

287-212 BC

Archimedes of Syracuse, Greek mathematician, studied in Alexandria

285 BC

Ptolemy Soter abdicated in favor of his son

285-247 BC

Ptolemy II Philadelphus, commissioned the translation of the Hebrew Scriptures into Greek - the Septuagint (ca. 255 BC)

281 BC

Seleucis won control of all of Alexander's Empire except Egypt

276-194 BC

Eratosthenes, Greek mathematician, postulated a spherical earth which moved around the sun, and estimated the circumference of the earth

264-241 BC

First Punic War (between Rome and Carthage) Carthage lost Sicily to Rome. ("Punic" is derived from "Poeni" the Latin name for the Carthaginians, referring to their Phoenician origins)

ca. 250 BC

parchment produced at Pergamum

247-221 BC

Ptolemy III Euergetes (Egypt)

247-182 BC

Hannibal, Carthaginian general, invaded Italy and fought against Rome

246 BC

Antiochus II Theos, killed by his wife, and succeeded by his son Seleucis II Callinicus

241 BC

Orias II, High Priest in Jerusalem, stopped paying taxes to Ptolemy III, thinking that Ptolemy was about to lose a battle with Seleucis. Ptolemy won the battle and transferred the priesthood to the House of Tobias who had settled in Jerusalem from Transjordan. The Tobiads were Hellenists; and remained in power for a century

239 BC

Rome seized Sardinia, Corsica and Sicily from Carthage.

233-183 BC

Scipio Africanus the Elder, Roman general

223-187 BC

Antiochus III, won the battles of Gaza (200 BC) and Banias (198 BC)

220 BC

Antiochus III regained Israel from the Ptolemies

218-201 BC

Second Punic War. Hannibal crossed the Alps with his elephants, won several major battles, but lost the war

215-146 BC

Macedonian Wars between Philip V and Rome, ended in the conquest of Greece

202 BC

Scipio Africanus defeated Hannibal at Zama (Africa)

ca. 200 BC

Rosetta Stone inscription in Egyptian Hieroglyphics, Demotic, and Greek (its discovery in 1799 made it possible for Champollion to decipher Hieroglyphics in 1821)

200 BC-135 AD

Essene Jewish community at Qumran

198 BC

Antiochus III of Syria seized Palestine and Judah from Egypt; submited to Rome, surrendered his son Antiochus Epiphanes as a hostage

191 BC

combined Roman and Macedonian forces defeated Antiochus' army at Thermopylai

190 BC

Battle of Magnesia - Scipio defeated Antiochus III

189 BC

Armenia broke free from Seleucid rule

185-129 BC

Scipio Africanus the Younger, Roman general (adopted grandson of Scipio Africanus the Elder), destroyer of Carthage

182 BC

Hannibal committed suicide or was killed (he disappeared in the Levant)

172-168 BC

war between Macedon and Rome : Rome won, put Macedon under Roman governorship. Rome set out to conquer the world

168 BC

Antiochus IV Epiphanes prohibited Judaism, sold the appointment to the High Priesthood, and desecrated the Temple, thereby touching off the Maccabean Revolt

165 BC

Judas Maccabaeus rededicated the Temple - commemorated ever since as Hannukah, the Festival of Lights

164 BC

death of Antiochus IV Epiphanes; succeeded by his son Antiochus V Eupator

162 BC

Demetrius I Soter (son of Seleucis IV) had Antiochus V killed

161 BC

Judas Maccabaeus killed in battle

161-144 BC

Jonathan Maccabaeus, brother of Judas, became leader, and was appointed as High Priest by Alexander Balas (contestant for the Seleucid throne). Murdered by Tryphon

150 BC

Demetrius I killed in battle

149-146 BC

Third Punic War ended in the destruction of Carthage by Rome

146 BC

Rome conquered Greece and destroyed Corinth. Roman society became Hellenized - influenced by Greek culture and customs

144 BC

Jonathan Maccabaeus assassinated

144-135 BC

Simon Maccabaeus became leader of the Jews; drove the Syrians out of Jerusalem

142 BC

Simon Maccabaeus gained independence from the Seleucids. Jerusalem became the capital, with three administrative regions : Judea, Galilee, and Transjordan

141 BC

formation of the Sanhedrin to interpret and enforce the laws of Judaism. The Great Sanhedrin with 71 members met in Jerusalem. Other towns had local courts (small sanhedrin) with 23 members each

140 BC

Simon Maccabeus took the titles of High Priest, Commander-in-chief, and Ethnarch of the Jews

140-63 BC

The Hasmonean Dynasty of ruling High Priests, founded by Simon Maccabaeus

ca. 139 BC

Jews in Rome erected public altars to God, hoping to spread their religion

134 BC

assassination of Simon Maccabaeus and his sons Mattathias and Judas, by Simon's son-in-law, Ptolemy

134-104 BC

John Hyrcanus, son of Simon Maccabaeus, ruled for 30 years as Jewish High Priest; forcibly converted the Idumeans (descendents of the Edomites) to Judaism; destroyed the Samaritan Temple on Mount Gerizim. Pharisees and Sadducees emerged as distinct parties, disagreed with one another. John Hyrcanus sided with the Sadducees, Joshua Perachyah, head of the Sanhedrin, fled to Egypt

133 BC

Attalos II bequeathed Pergamos in Asia minor to Rome. Romans started to settle in Pergamos. Romans started to take over other Greek city states

123 BC

Carthage rebuilt

ca 120 BC

Babylonia had developed as a secondary center of Judaism. Jews lived in large settlements, governed by Exilarchs, chosen from the House of David, who remained in Babylon after the return of the Exiles
Parthians controlled trade routes from the Middle East to China (the Silk Road)

112-105 BC

African wars between Rome and Jugurtha of Numidia

106-43 BC

Cicero, Roman orator and politician
Pompey

105 BC

Sulla and Marius defeat Jugurtha of Numidia

104-103 BC

Aristobulus I succeeded his father John Hyrcanus, killed one brother, imprisoned three other brothers, let his mother starve to death in prison. Married Alexandra Salome, conquered Galilee

103 BC

Aristobulus I died. His widow, Alexandra Salome, freed his brothers, married his brother Alexander Jannai and appointed him king and high priest. This offended traditionalist Pharisees. Shimon Shetach, a Pharisee scribe, strengthened Pharisee control of the Sanhedrin

103-76 BC

Alexander Jannai quarreled with Pharisees and provoked 6-year civil war

102 BC

Germanic tribes from Scandinavia settled near the Rhine

100-44 BC

Julius Caesar

96 BC

Tigrames, King of Armenia

90 BC

civil war in Rome, Marius vs. Sulla. Sulla won

89-88 BC

King Mithriades VI Eupator of Pontos massacred 80,000 Romans in Asia Minor and freed most of southern Greece from Roman rule

87-86 BC

Roman general Sulla defeated Mithridates, burnt Athens, stripped Greek shrines and demanded reparations for rebellion

82 BC

Sulla defeated Marius the Younger, and was made "Dictator for life" (resigned in 79 BC)

ca 79 BC

Lucullus imported the first cherry trees from Asia Minor to Rome

76-66 BC

Alexandra Salome, widow of Alexander Jannai, succeeded him as ruler and appointed her son Hyrcanus II as high priest. She reinstated the Pharisees' ordinances and their control of Temple practices and calendar

72 BC

Germanic tribes invaded Gaul

71 BC

revolt of slaves and gladiators in Rome, led by Spartacus, put down by Pompey and Crassus

70-19 BC

Virgil, Roman poet

66 BC

death of Alexandra Salome. Her sons were Aristobulus II and Hyrcanus II. They commenced a struggle for power, which involved Antipater (also called Antipas, the militray commander of Idumea) and the Romans. That was a mistake - Rome took all

66-63 BC

Aristobulus II, younger son of Salome, wrested kingship and high priesthood from his brother Hyrcanus II: allied with Sadducees

65-8 BC

Horace, Roman poet

63 BC

Roman occupation of Palestine
Pompey invaded Judea, made Palestine part of the Roman province of Syria; Temple Mount besieged and captured
Pompey decided in favor of Hyrcanus II, but deposed him from kingship and appointed him High Priest. End of the Hasmonean dynasty
Aristobulus II and others were marched as captives in triumph through Rome, then became part of Rome's growing Jewish community

63-40 BC

Hyrcanus II, High Priest at Jerusalem

63 BC - AD 14

Gaius Octavius (later became the Emperor Augustus)

59 BC

first Triumvirate (Three Man Rule) of Rome (Caesar, Crassus, and Pompey)

58 BC

Caesar conquered Gaul

55 BC

Caesar led the Roman invasion of Britain

51 BC

Caesar wrote "De bello Gallico" (account of the Gallic War")

51-31 BC

Cleopatra VII, last ruler of the Ptolemeic dynasty

49 BC

Caesar won battle against Pompey near Thermopylai in Greece
Caesar brought his army across the Rubicon river in northern Italy, into Rome. "Crossing the Rubicon" with an army was equivalent to declaring war on Rome. Caesar's statement "Alea jacta est" - the die is thrown

48 BC

birth of a son, Caesarion, to Julius Caesar of Rome and Cleopatra VII of Egypt. They set up house together in Rome, although Caesar already had a Roman wife

47 BC

As a reward for support of his Egypt campaign, Caesar appointed Hyrcanus as Ethnarch of Jews, and Antipater as procurator of Judea
Cleopatra of Egypt had Pompey murdered. She later tried to persuade Mark Antony to have Herod assassinated, so that she could take Judea, but Mark Antony refused
Library of Alexandria burned (by accident ?)
Herod made governor of Galilee

46 BC

the Julian Calendar - leap years introduced

45 BC

Caesar adopted his nephew Gaius Octavius (Octavian) as his heir

44 BC

Julius Caesar assassinated in Rome, March 15 ("the Ides of March"). The assassins were led by Cassius and Brutus. Caesar's last words were "και συ τεκνον" - "kai su, technon?" (You too, child?) to Brutus. (These are the words reported by eye-witnesses and historians of the time. Shakespeare may have been the first to use the Latin translation which has became famous "et tu, Brute?")

43 BC

Founding of the Roman town of Lundinium (London) on the site of earlier settlements at fords across the River Thames

43 BC - AD 18

Ovid, Roman poet

42 BC

Caesar's adopted son Octavian joined with Mark Antony to defeat Cassius and Brutus in Macedonia. Cassius and Brutus committed suicide. Mark Antony took control of the eastern regions, and made Athens his capital

40 BC

Herod (the Great), son of Antipater and friend of Mark Antony, went to Rome and got himself appointed as a vassal king under Roman authority, called "King of the Jews" although he himself was of Edomite descent

40-37 BC

Antigonus II (son of Aristobulus II) power struggle with Herod the Great; got help from Parthians and ruled until he was executed by the Romans on behalf of Herod

37 BC

Herod the Great captured Jerusalem, had Antigonus II executed

40-4 BC

Rule of Herod I (Herod the Great). Married Mariamne I (a Hasmonean princess, granddaughter of both Hyrcanus II and Aristobulus II), and styled himself "King of the Jews". Eventually killed Mariamne and the sons he had by her. Romans joked "I would rather be Herod's pig than his son" (Herod passed himself off as a Jew, and would not eat pork)

38 BC

Mark Antony returned to Egypt (and Cleopatra)

32 BC

Mark Antony and Cleopatra invaded Italy to fight Octavian

31 BC

Battle of Actium (in Greece) : Mark Anthony and Cleopatra were defeated by Octavian and committed suicide. This was the end of the Ptolemaic dynasty. Egypt was made a Roman province

30 BC - AD 14

Octavian took the name Augustus and founded the Roman Empire
construction of the system of straight Roman roads to facilitate movement of the army throughout the Empire began

20 BC

Herod the Great started to rebuild and extend the Temple in Jerusalem. The project continued until AD 62

Main Sources : Smithsonian Timelines of Ancient History, The Timetables of History (Bernard Grun)

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Copyright © 1999 Shirley J. Rollinson, all Rights Reserved

Dr. Rollinson

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ENMU
Portales, NM 88130

Last Updated: June 28, 2017

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