Jews, Idumaeans, Samaritans and Arabs during the Hasmonaean and Roman Periods

When the Hasmonean Revolt broke out (167 BCE) the population of Eretz- Israel and its vicinity was ethnically, sociologically, culturally and religiously varied. We shall trace four specific groups, their dynamics and inter-relationships: Jews, Idumaeans, Samaritans and Arabs. Two of these groups, the Jews and Arabs (Nabateans and Ituraeans) achieved political independence, through both co-operation and rivalry. The Idumaeans and Samaritans were conquered by the Hasmoneans, but while the Idumaeans integrated into Jewish society, the Samaritans preserved their separate identity.

These groups (apart from the Idumaeans) retained their separate identities throughout the Roman period, and the sources shed particular light on the complex relations between Jews and Samaritans.