Hasmonean Judea among the Nations: Masters, Friends, Rivals, Adversaries

Between the revolt of 168 BC and 63 BC, the Hasmoneans established in Judea an increasingly autonomous power. The documentation, which is almost exclusively due to Jewish authors, gives Judea a central place, but an examination of the sources shows that the power of the Hasmoneans was essentially based on the weakness of their adversaries. The links maintained with Rome never resulted in a Roman intervention in their favour and the former Seleucid master acted almost freely in the new kingdom until the 80s. Judea remained a marginal region, struggling to assert itself against the states in the region, including the Nabataean kingdom.