- c. 4 BE Ethnarch Herod Archelaus of Judea – The son of Herod the Great who ruled as Ethnarch over Judea, Samaria, and Idumea. His rule was so controversial that it eventually led to Judea becoming a direct Roman province.
- ♛ c. 110 BE Queen Salome Alexandra of Judea – One of only two women to rule over Judea; her reign was considered a “Golden Age” of peace and religious stability.
- ♛ c. 125 BE King Alexander Jannaeus of Judea – A warrior-king who expanded the Hasmonean kingdom to its largest size but faced intense civil unrest from the Pharisees.
- c. 175 BE High Priest John Hyrcanus I of Judea – The ruler who transformed Judea into a regional power and famously incorporated the Idumaeans (Herod’s ancestors) into the Jewish nation.
- c. 142 BE High Priest Simon Thassi of Judea – The last of the five Maccabee brothers to lead; he secured full independence from the Seleucid Empire.
- c. 167 BE Mattathias ben Johanan of Modi’in – The priest who sparked the Maccabean Revolt against the Greek king Antiochus IV. The Golden Age & Kingdom Era
- ♛ c. 970 BE King Solomon of Israel – Son of David, builder of the First Temple, and legendary for his wisdom and wealth.
- ♛ c. 1010 BE King David of Israel – The biblical king who unified the tribes of Israel and established Jerusalem as the capital.
- ♛ c. 1000 BE Queen Bathsheba of Israel – Wife of David and mother of Solomon; a powerful queen mother who secured her son’s succession to the throne.
- ♛ c. 900 BE Princess Yehosheba of Judah – A heroic princess who saved the Davidic line from extinction by hiding the infant prince Jehoash from the murderous Queen Athaliah.
- c. 450 BE Governor Sanballat the Horonite of Samaria – A high-ranking official and rival to Nehemiah during the rebuilding of the walls of Jerusalem.
The High Priests & Patriarchs
- c. 300 BE High Priest Simon ‘The Just’ of Jerusalem – One of the most famous High Priests in Jewish history, known for his piety and for meeting Alexander the Great.
- c. 515 BE High Priest Joshua (Jeshua) of Jerusalem – The first High Priest of the Second Temple after the return from the Babylonian Exile.
Historical but Religious Figures
These are real people in the sense that they appear in ancient records, inscriptions, or in religious scripture, but they are not archaeological “hard history” like Roman consuls or Persian satraps.
The same “hard history” standard is often used to invalidate Indigenous cultures.
The “if you find it outside of our ritualistic way of finding it, it doesn’t exist” logic. Thus, so much is strategically “forgotten.”
- Mudad ibn ‘Amr al Jurhumi of Yemen/Mecca
- Terah of Ur of the Chaldees
- Falikh (Peleg) King of Babylon
- Prophet Shalikh (Shelah) of Mesopotamia
- Arpachshad of Chaldea
- Nabit (Nebajoth) ibn Isma’il of Arabia
- Esau (Edom) of Mount Seir
- Ishmael ibn Ibrahim of Mecca
- Naphtali of Israel
- Prophet Joshua (bin Nun) of Israel
- ♛ c. 700 BC King Manasseh of Judah – The longest-reigning king of Judah (55 years). Initially known for reintroducing pagan worship, biblical tradition says he later repented while in Babylonian captivity.
Roman & Pontic Allies
- ♛c. 664 BE King Amon of Judah – The son of Manasseh who was assassinated by his own officials after only two years of rule, leading to the coronation of his 8-year-old son, Josiah.
- ♛ 648 BE King Josiah of Judah – One of the most famous kings of Judah, known for his major religious reforms after finding a lost “Book of the Law” (Deuteronomy) in the Temple.
Babylonian Exile & Davidic Exilarchs
♛ c. 598 BE King Jeconiah (Jehoiachin) of Judah – The young king who was taken captive to Babylon by Nebuchadnezzar. He spent 37 years in prison before being released and honored by the Babylonian king Evil-Merodach.
c. 550 BE Shealtiel ben Neri of Babylon – A Davidic prince during the exile; his name means “I have asked of God.” He is a central figure in the genealogies of Jesus found in the Gospels of Matthew and Luke.
c. 539 BE Governor Zerubbabel (Zorobabel) of Judah – Grandson of King Jeconiah and leader of the 1st group of captives returning from Babylon to Jerusalem. Primary builder of the 2nd Temple and is, the 4th Exilarch.
High Priests & Early Rabbinic Leaders
c. 515 BE — High Priest Joshua (Jeshua) of Jerusalem
c. 300 BE — High Priest Simon “The Just” of Jerusalem
c. 180 BE — Antigonus of Sokho
c. 160 BE — Yossei ibn Yohanan of Jerusalem
c. 100 BE — Rabbi Simeon ben Shetah of Jerusalem
Hasmonean “Greats” (Jewish Royalty)
c. 167 BE — Judah Maccabee (The Hammer) of Judea Central figure in the Hannukah Story
c. 160 BE — High Priest Jonathan Apphus of Judea
c. 142 BE — High Priest Simon Thassi of Judea
c. 175 BE — High Priest John Hyrcanus I of Judea
c. 125 BE — King Alexander Jannaeus of Judea
♛ c. 110 BE — Queen Salome Alexandra of Judea