The Maccabees were a group of Jewish rebel warriors who took control of Judea, which at the time was part of the Seleucid Empire. They founded the Hasmonean dynasty, which ruled from 167 BCE to 37 BCE. The name Maccabee is often used as a synonym for the entire Hasmonean dynasty, but the Maccabees proper were Judas Maccabeus and his four brothers. The name Maccabee was a personal epithet of Judah, and the later generations were not his direct descendants. One explanation of the names origins is that it derives from the Aramaic maqqəḇa, "the hammer", in recognition of Judahs ferocity in battle. The Maccabees were Jewish fighters who led the revolt against the Syrian Greek ruling class, who had suppressed Jewish religion in an effort to spread their own culture. The Maccabees destroyed pagan altars in the villages, circumcised boys, and forced Jews into outlawry. The Maccabees cannot be found in the Jewish Bible, but Jews continue to celebrate the Hasmoneans’ victory every year on Hanukkah.