He mentions 14 authors, some of whom believed the story ( so Onesicritus, Cleitarchus ), while others took it to be only fiction ( so Aristobulus of Cassandreia, Chares of Mytilene, Ptolemy I of Egypt, Duris of Samos ).

Both Strabo and Arrian give nearly equal descriptions of the tomb, based on the eyewitness report of Aristobulus of Cassandreia, who at the request of Alexander the Great visited the tomb two times.

Under Aristobulus ’ reign, the name of the Jewish community or counsel of the Jews became “ Hever ha-Yehhdim ” and in the Greek, the “ Sanhedrin .” The identity of ‘ the community of the Jews ’ may have been on his coins, but their title, like his crown, was seen and spoken in Greek terms.

Aristobulus was among many philosophers of his day who argued that the essentials of Greek philosophy and metaphysics were derived from Jewish sources.

" ( 1. 150. 4 ) Aristobulus maintained, 150 years earlier than Philo, that not only the oldest Grecian poets, Homer, Hesod, Orpheus, etc., but also the most celebrated Greek thinkers, especially Plato, had acquired most of their wisdom from Jewish sages and ancient Hebrew texts ( Gfrorer i. p. 308, also ii.

The dramatic murder of Aristobulus III in a swimming pool in Jericho, as told by the Roman Jewish historian Josephus, took place during a banquet organized by Herod's Hasmonean mother-in-law.

* Aristobulus ( 4th century BC ) historian

* Judea: Aristobulus III, the last of the Hasmoneans, becomes High Priest in Jerusalem, replacing Ananelus, who had only held the position for one year.

Soon afterwards he was convicted, through the information of his brother Aristobulus, of having received a bribe from the Damascenes, who wished to purchase his influence with the proconsul, and was again compelled to flee.

" i. 291, note 2 ), but was to enjoy the revenues of the latter office: " but Hyrcanus, with those of his party who stayed with him, fled to Antonia, and got into his power the hostages ( which were Aristobulus's wife, with her children ) that he might perservere ; but the parties came to an agreement before things should come to extremes, that Aristobulus should be king, and Hyrcanus should resign, but retain all the rest of his dignities, as being the king's brother.

When, in 50 BCE, it appeared that Julius Caesar was interested in using Aristobulus and his family as his clients to take control of Judea from Hyrcanus and Antipater, who were beholden to Pompey, supporters of Pompey had Aristobulus poisoned in Rome and executed Alexander in Antioch.

Strabo, who extends Hyrcania as far north as the river Ochus, says from Aristobulus that Hyrcania was a woody region, producing oaks and pines, but not the pitch pine, which abounded in India.

Iotapa married the Herodian Prince Aristobulus Minor, who was of Jewish, Nabataean and Edomite ancestry.

It was ruled by Simon the son of Matisyahu ; then by his son Yochanan who started minting coins ; then by his son Yehuda Aristobolus ; then by his wife Salome Alexandra ; then by his brother Alexander Yannai ; then by his sons Hyrcanus and Aristobulus.

Antipater also had a brother named Phalion, who was killed in battle against Aristobulus at Papyron.

Later when accused by Aristobulus ’ son, Antigonus, who returns from Roman bondage to contest for power, Antipater made a great scene of his scars from fighting for Caesar ’ s life in Egypt.

Salome Alexandra's oldest son by Alexander Jannaeus was Hyrcanus II who fought his younger brother Aristobulus II in the 60's BC over the Jewish High Priesthood.

On Aristobulus ' death ( 103 BCE ), Aristobulus ' wife liberated his brother Alexander Jannaeus, who had been held in prison.

Like his father, Aristobulus was a Sadducee who took actions to erode Jewish identity.

She married her cousin Aristobulus who was executed by his father in 6 BC ; she was accused of complicity in his murder.

Marc Antony was the man who scaled Aristobulus ' fortification and subdued his forces with several men.

Hyrcanus had scarcely reigned three months when his younger brother Aristobulus II, who agreed with his father's Sadducean stance, rose in rebellion.

Hippolytus ( AD 170 – 236 ), considered to have been one of the most learned Christian historians, puts names to the seventy disciples whom Jesus sent forth in Luke 10, includes Aristobulus of Romans 16: 10 with Joseph, and states that he ended up becoming a pastor in Britain.

But his mother Alexandra Maccabeus ( 63 BC – 28 BC ), through intercession with Cleopatra and Mark Antony, compelled Herod to remove Hananel from the office of High Priest and appoint Aristobulus instead.

The scholarly consensus is that Arrian's work is to a considerable extent a reworking of Ptolemy ; albeit with material from other writers, particularly Aristobulus, brought in where Arrian thought them useful.

He desired that his wife succeed him as head of the government, with his eldest of five sons, Aristobulus I, becoming only the high-priest.

He accordingly began to impress upon Hyrcanus ' mind that Aristobulus was planning his death, finally persuading him to take refuge with Aretas, king of the Nabatæans.

During Gabinius ' absence in Egypt, Syria had been devastated by robbers, and Alexander, son of Aristobulus, had again taken up arms with the object of depriving Hyrcanus II of the high-priesthood.

The two men had such a relationship that Antipater entrusted his children to his friend when he went to war with the Hasmonean Aristobulus II.

Antipater insinuated himself into the party of Hyrcanus II in his contest for power with his younger brother Aristobulus II.

Josephus notes that with his newfound rights and honors, Antipater immediately began to rebuild the wall of Jerusalem that Pompey had destroyed when subduing Aristobulus.

As well, she did not abstain from actual warfare ; she sent her son Aristobulus with an army to besiege Damascus, then beleaguered by Ptolemy Menneus.

Reverse of a Roman denarius of Aulus Plautius from about 55 BCE with inscription " Bacchius Judaeus ", pertaining to Aristobulus II in the Hasmonean era

: For other people with this name, see Aristobulus ( disambiguation )

Aristobulus agreed with his father's Sadducean stance and rebelled against his elder brother.

This agreement however did not last, as Hyrcanus feared that Aristobulus was planning his death and took refuge with Aretas III, King of the Nabataeans.

Aristobulus was on his way to Judaea with his son Alexander, in 49 BC when " he was taken off by poison given him by those of Pompey's party ".

In 40 BC, Aristobulus ' son Antigonus allied himself with the Parthians and was proclaimed King and High Priest.

* Alexander of Judaea, son of Aristobulus II, king of Judaea

* Alexander Jannaeus succeeds his brother Aristobulus I as king and high priest of Judea, until 76 BC.

* Battle at Mount Tabor in Judea: Roman troops, commanded by Gabinius, defeat the forces of Alexander, son of Aristobulus II of Judea, attempting to re-establish Judean independence.

Both Plutarch and Arrian relate that according to Aristobulus, Alexander pulled the knot out of its pole pin, exposing the two ends of the cord and allowing him to untie the knot without having to cut through it.

Upon Hyrcanus ' death, however, Aristobulus jailed his mother and three brothers, including Alexander Jannaeus, and allowed her to starve there.

Aristobulus ' brothers were freed from prison by his widow ; Alexander reigned from 103 – 76 BCE, and died during the siege of the fortress Ragaba.

Alexander Jannaeus ' son, Hyrcanus II, had scarcely reigned three months when his younger brother, Aristobulus II, rose in rebellion, whereupon Hyrcanus advanced against him at the head of an army of mercenaries and his Pharisee followers: " NOW Hyrcanus was heir to the kingdom, and to him did his mother commit it before she died ; but Aristobulus was superior to him in power and magnanimity ; and when there was a battle between them, to decide the dispute about the kingdom, near Jericho, the greatest part deserted Hyrcanus, and went over to Aristobulus.

Aristobulus III, grandson of Aristobulus II through his elder son Alexander, was briefly made high priest, but was soon executed ( 36 BCE ) due to Herod's jealousy.

Her sons by Herod, Aristobulus IV and Alexander, were in their adulthood also executed by their father.

Herod the Great's execution of his Hasmonean sons, Alexander and Aristobulus IV in 7 BC, left the latter's daughter Herodias an orphaned minor.

That honor fell to Aristobulus and Alexander, Herod's sons by the Hasmonean princess Mariamne.

Arrian, writing in the second century of the common era, recorded that Alexander commanded Aristobulus, one of his warriors, to enter the monument.

Regardless, Alexander the Great ordered Aristobulus to improve the tomb's condition and restore its interior.

Josephus said that John Hyrcanus had five sons but only named three in his histories -- Judah Aristobulus I, Antigonus I, and Alexander Jannai.

The wife of Aristobulus I, and afterward of Alexander Jannaeus, she was the last woman ruler of Judaea, and the last ruler of ancient Judaea to die as the ruler of an independent kingdom.