(fl. 1st cent BCE)
Judean high priest and ethnarch, elder son of Alexander Yannai and Salome Alexandra. He succeeded his mother to the Judean throne but was driven out and had the high priesthood wrested from him by his brother Aristobulus II. With the help of Antipater, he resolved to overcome Aristobulus. The brothers appealed for arbitration to Pompey, who preferred Hyrcanus. After conquering Aristobulus and his supporters, Pompey apointed Hyrcanus high priest with limited political authority. Following Pompey's death Hyrcanus supported Julius Caesar, who elevated him to the position of ethnarch. When Judea was invaded by the Parthians, he was taken captive. He subsequently returned to Judea, where he was accused of treason by Herod the Great and executed.
Dictionary of Jewish Biography. Dan Cohn-Sherbok.