72: From the book: THE HISTORY OF THE GREATEST LIES 17 Between the diadochi, wars took place for the territories that included Judea. It was the border area between the two empires. There were significant military contingents here. Important trade routes from India, southern Arabia, and Egypt passed here. Judea passed from hand to hand, suffered economically. Numerous settlers from Greece created Greek settlements and cities. For the first 100 years, Judea was under the rule of the Ptolemies but in 200 BC. Judea came under the rule of the Seleucids. The latter viewed Judea as autonomous with the capital Jerusalem. Judea was ruled by a council of elders headed by the high priest. The legal laws of autonomy were based on the Torah as a source of law. The Jerusalem Temple was the center of the country's religious and political life. According to the law of Moses, adult Jew required to contribute 1/2 of a shekel to the maintenance of the temple. The population of Judea was influenced by the penetrating Hellenistic culture. The children were called by Greek names. The natural flow of Greek Hellenization influenced society, creating religious and cultural-political tensions. Antiochus III, defeated by the emergence of the Roman Empire in Asia, was obliged to pay indemnities to the winners. Antiochus III was killed, and his successor Seleucus IV decided to withdraw funds from the Jerusalem temple. Resistance to the Greek-Syrian authorities led to open confrontations.