Israeli, German archeologists reconstruct Hasmonean destruction of Greek city

When exactly did the Hasmoneans – descendants of the Maccabees of Hanukkah fame – destroy the Greek town Tel Iztabba in present-day Israel by a military campaign? Until now, it has been suggested by archaeologists that the ruling Hasmonean dynasty did so between 111 BCE and 107 BCE.


© (photo credit: German-Israeli Tel Iẓṭabba Excavation Project)
View of Tell Iẓṭabba from the north

But according to new Israeli/German research, based on the remains of chicken bones, snail shells and plant remains – as well as written evidence – the year, as well as the exact season in which this occurred, has been determined.

Prof. Oren Tal Marco Nadler of the Institute for Archaeology at the Tel Aviv University and Prof. Achim Lichtenberger from the Cluster of Excellence “Religion and Politics” at the University of Münster in Germany determined for the first time that this historical event took place in the spring of 107 BCE.

“The seasonal nature of archaeological evidence has come to the forefront of archaeological research in recent years,” they wrote. “Historical events are often recounted in history books as simply part of a year’s occurrences. The time of the year and accompanying season, however, also have an impact on the course of historical events.”

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