Hasmonean king and high priest (c. 103–76 BCE), son of John Hyrcanus. He extended Judean suzerainty to the entire Mediterranean coastal strip, revived Jewish maritime activity, increased the role of the Jews in international trade, and strengthened their religious and cultural influence in the region. He also conquered most of the Transjordan and the sources of the Jordan River and repulsed invasions from Cyprus, Syria and Nabatea. He moved Jews from the crowded areas of Judea to the conquered territories, except in the desert regions, where he built such fortresses as Alexandrium (the Horn of Sartaba) west of the Jordan River in Samaria and Makhor (Machaerus) east of the Dead Sea.
Yannai's sympathy with the anti-rabbinic Sadducees and his increasingly hellenistic and despotic style evoked vigorous popular and rabbinic opposition, leading to a six-year civil war in which 50,000 Jews perished. In the end there was a certain reconciliation between him and the Pharisees, but the Hasmonean dynasty never regained its original popularity.
