The Second Temple period in Jewish history began with the end of the Babylonian captivity and the Persian conquest of the Babylonian Empire in 539 BCE. A new temple to replace the destroyed Solomon's Temple was built in Jerusalem by the returnees, and the Second Temple was finished around 516 BCE. Second Temple Judaism was centered around the religious leadership of the Second Temple, and lasted for six centuries. The Persians were largely tolerant of Judaism. Persian rule lasted for two centuries, but came to an end with the conquests of Macedonia under Alexander the Great in 332 BCE. Judea and the Eastern Mediterranean region came under Greek influence during the resulting Hellenistic period; Hellenistic Judaism blended both Greek and Jewish traditions. Judea was ruled in this period first by the Ptolemaic Kingdom and then by the Seleucid Empire, Greek states formed after the breakup of Alexander's Macedonian empire. The Maccabean Revolt of 167–142 BCE was initially a fight for Judean autonomy against a suppression of traditional Judaism by Seleucid King Antiochus IV, and later sought outright independence from Greek rule. The revolt's success brought about the formation of an independent Hasmonean kingdom of Judea, named for the family which had led the Jewish resistance.
The Hasmoneans ruled until 63 BCE, when they were reduced to client king status as puppets of the Roman Republic. The Hasmonean line was deposed in 37 BCE, and King Herod the Great took control as ruler of the Herodian kingdom, with the approval of Rome. Herod's death in 4 BCE led to both the Herodian Tetrarchy, in which smaller regions were ruled by members of his family, and periods of direct Roman control by the governors of Roman Judea. Direct Roman rule of Judea was generally disliked, and provoked resistance and rebellion. The era came to an end with the First Jewish–Roman War of 66–73 CE. The Jewish revolt against the Roman Empire was unsuccessful, Jerusalem was conquered in 70 CE, and the Second Temple was destroyed.
This timeline focuses both on political events in Judea and the surrounding regions, as well as issues related to wider diaspora Judaism practiced elsewhere. Many of the dates in ancient sources are given in terms of the Seleucid era (SE) and the Ancient Macedonian calendar, which do not always map cleanly to Julian calendar dates, leading to some unavoidable uncertainty.
539 BCE
538 BCE
538–332 BCE
537–520 BCE
525 BCE
c. 525–410 BCE
522–486 BCE
520–516 BCE
465–424 BCE
458–457 BCE
445–433 BCE
c. 430–350 BCE
404–359 BCE
397 BCE
400–300 BCE
359–338 BCE
332 BCE
331 BCE
323–301 BCE
301–200 BCE
259 BCE
221–204 BCE
c. 210s–190s BCE
202–199 BCE
200 BCE
200–100 BCE
c. 200–175 BCE
187–175 BCE
September 175 BCE
c. 174–172 BCE
c. 173–172 BCE
c. 170 BCE
170–169 BCE
168 BCE
168–167 BCE
168–100 BCE
December 167 BCE (15 Kislev 145 SE)
167–160 BCE
167–165 BCE
c. 166 BCE
Spring 166 – Spring 165 BCE (146 SE)
End of summer 165 BCE
October – December 164 BCE
November – December 164 BCE
January 14, 163 BCE (25 Kislev 148 SE)
163 BCE
163–162 BCE
April – May 162 BCE
June – July 162 BCE
Late Summer – Autumn 162 BCE
November 162 BCE
November – Winter 161 BCE
13 Adar (March) 161 BCE
Spring 161 BCE
Early 160 BCE
Nisan (April) 160 BCE
c. 160–159 BCE
c. 160–157 BCE
160–152 BCE
Sivan (May) 159 BCE
157 BCE
153 BCE
Autumn 152 BCE
c. 150 BCE
147–145 BCE
147–143 BCE
c. 145 BCE
143 BCE
142 BCE
c. 143–141 BCE
141–100 BCE
141–120 BCE
18 Elul 140 BCE (172 SE)
c. 140–138 BCE
139 BCE
c. 138 BCE
Shebat (February), 135 or 134 BCE (177 SE)
134–104 BCE
Autumn 134 BCE
131–129 BCE
129 BCE
128–122 BCE
124–76 BCE
c. 113–112 BCE
c. 111–107 BCE
c. 108–107 BCE
104–103 BCE
103–76 BCE
103–101 BCE
101–100 BCE
100 BCE – 40 CE
100 BCE – 68 CE
89–88 BCE
c. 87 BCE
86 BCE
76–67 BCE
67–63 BCE
Spring – Summer 63 BCE
63–40 BCE
57–54 BCE
c. 56–55 BCE
c. 54–53 BCE
48 BCE
43–42 BCE
Mark Antony Lepidus | Octavian Triumvirs collectively |
41–31 BCE
40 BCE
40–37 BCE
Summer 37 BCE
37–4 BCE
31–30 BCE
31 BCE – 14 CE
30–4 BCE
29 BCE
10 BCE
c. 8–7 BCE
c. 6–4 BCE
4 BCE
4 BCE – 30 CE
6 CE
c. 10
14–37
19
20
20–54
26–36
c. 28–30
c. 30–33
c. 30–56
34
c. 35–37
c. 35–36
37–41
37
38
c. 40–41
41
41–54
c. 41–70
44
46–48
c. 47–64
48–53
52–59
53–66
54–68
64–66
66–73
66
November 66–May 67
67
68
69
May–August 70
70–73
70–100
80–96
115–117
c. 130
132–136