Hasmonean conquest of Gaza

The first conquest of Gaza occurred under Jonathan Apphus around ~145 BCE, when he was acting under Seleucid influence.^{[1][2][3][4][5]} The second conquest took place around ~96-94 BCE under Alexander Jannaeus, during the period when Judea was an independent kingdom.^{[6][7][8][dubious – discuss]} It and was fought between the Hasmoneans and the Gazan population^{[9][better source needed]}

Hasmonean conquest of Gaza
Jonathan Apphus
Date 1st conquest ~145 BCE, Second Conquest ~96-94 BCE Location Gaza Result Hasmonean victories Conquest of Gaza by the Hasmonean dynasty Nabatean loss of their main Port Territorial changes Gaza incorporated into the Hasmonean dynasty
Belligerents
Hasmonean dynasty	Gazan population Nabataean Kingdom (Lost their main port)
Commanders and leaders
(Under selecuid influence) Jonathan Apphus (Independent Kingdom) Alexander Jannaeus	Unknown

Battle

In 145 BCE, Jonathan Apphus initiated an attack on the city and conquered it, then under selecuid influence.^{[10][dubious – discuss]} Alexander Jannaeus succeeded in capturing, and incorporating Gaza into the Hasmonean dynasty as an independent kingdom, after a long siege.^[11][12][13]

Following the Hasmonean conquest of Idumea, Samaria, and Galilee, the focus shifted to the coastal plain. Cities like Akko and Jaffa^[14][15] in the north and Gaza in the south.^[16] Despite Gaza's alliance with the Nabateans, they didn't receive any aid.^[17][18] With Alexander Jannaeus' conquest of Gaza, the Nabateans lost their primary access to the Mediterranean Sea, as Gaza had served as their main port.^[17]

References

1. Shoham, Lt Col (res ) Dr Dany (2019-06-06). "Gaza's Past and Gaza's Present". Begin-Sadat Center for Strategic Studies. Retrieved 2024-07-26.
2. "Gaza". www.jewishvirtuallibrary.org. Retrieved 2024-07-26.
3. WordPress.com, Blog at (2014-07-28). "Gaza's Forgotten Jewish Past". JEWISH HOME LA. Retrieved 2024-07-26.
4. "The Jewish communities in Gaza throughout the years". Gush Katif Heritage Center. Retrieved 2024-07-26.
5. "Gaza". josephus.org. Retrieved 2024-07-26.
6. "Late Hellenistic coins of Gaza and the date of the Hasmonean conquest". E-Periodica.
7. "Gates of Gaza" (PDF). Torah in Motion.
8. "Hasmonean Foreign Policy under Alexander Jannaeus". Repozytorium Uniwersytetu.
9. Gazette numismatique suisse. Schweizerische Numismatische Gesellschaft. 2002.
10. Patai, Raphael (2021-02-09). The Children of Noah: Jewish Seafaring in Ancient Times. Princeton University Press. ISBN 978-0-691-22529-6.
11. Kreiner, Jared; Wrightson, Graham (2024-04-03). Ancient Warfare, Volume II: Introducing Current Research. Cambridge Scholars Publishing. ISBN 978-1-5275-7040-5.
12. Atkinson, Kenneth (2016-09-22). A History of the Hasmonean State: Josephus and Beyond. Bloomsbury Publishing. ISBN 978-0-567-66903-2.
13. Meyers, Eric M.; Research, American Schools of Oriental (1997). The Oxford Encyclopedia of Archaeology in the Near East. Oxford University Press. ISBN 978-0-19-511215-3.
14. Arbel, Yoav (2011-01-01). "The Hasmonean Conquest of Jaffa: Chronology and New Background Evidencet.pdf". Academia.edu.
15. Peilstöcker, Martin; Burke, Aaron A., eds. (2011). The History and Archaeology of Jaffa 1. Cotsen Institute of Archaeology Press at UCLA. doi:10.2307/j.ctvdjrrkm. ISBN 978-1-931745-81-9. JSTOR j.ctvdjrrkm.
16. Malamat, Abraham (1976). A History of the Jewish People. Harvard University Press. ISBN 978-0-674-39731-6.
17. Eshel, Hanan (2008-07-31). The Dead Sea Scrolls and the Hasmonean State. Wm. B. Eerdmans Publishing. ISBN 978-0-8028-6285-3.
18. Paprocki, Maciej (2019-07-19). Roads in the Deserts of Roman Egypt: Analysis, Atlas, Commentary. Oxbow Books. ISBN 978-1-78925-159-3.

External links

Gaza: A Brief History