The Maccabees (Hebrew: מכבים‎ or מקבים, Makabim or Maqabim; Greek: Μακκαβαῖοι, /makav'εï/) were a Jewish rebel army who liberated parts of the Land of Israel from the rule of the Seleucid Empire. They founded the Hasmonean dynasty, which ruled from 164 BCE to 63 BCE, reasserting the Jewish religion, expanding the boundaries of Israel and reducing the influence of Hellenism.