Does anyone know of any historical works or scholarly research done on Hasmonean-era Judea's neighbours? I don't know how reliable Sefer Maccabim is as a source, and I'm interested in placing the story of Hanukkah and the Hasmonean dynasty (Shlomtzion's conquests included) into a wider geographical context.

this was going to be a reply to my last post but like. god. what the fuck. have people seriously just been tasting secret mystery tastes this whole time and literally no one told me??? when people make fun of wine tasters for having incredibly elaborate descriptions of the taste of wine it's not because it's obvious to everyone that all wines taste basically the same??? different kinds of meat actually taste different and don't just have different textures?????

i am the only one who can save the world from itself. like goku