מַאי חֲנוּכָּה? דְּתָנוּ רַבָּנַן: בְּכ״ה בְּכִסְלֵיו יוֹמֵי דַחֲנוּכָּה תְּמָנְיָא אִינּוּן דְּלָא לְמִסְפַּד בְּהוֹן וּדְלָא לְהִתְעַנּוֹת בְּהוֹן. שֶׁכְּשֶׁנִּכְנְסוּ יְוָוֽנִים לַהֵיכָל טִמְּאוּ כׇּל הַשְּׁמָנִים שֶׁבַּהֵיכָל. וּכְשֶׁגָּבְרָה מַלְכוּת בֵּית חַשְׁמוֹנַאי וְנִצְּחוּם, בָּדְקוּ וְלֹא מָצְאוּ אֶלָּא פַּךְ אֶחָד שֶׁל שֶׁמֶן שֶׁהָיָה מוּנָּח בְּחוֹתָמוֹ שֶׁל כֹּהֵן גָּדוֹל, וְלֹא הָיָה בּוֹ אֶלָּא לְהַדְלִיק יוֹם אֶחָד. נַעֲשָׂה בּוֹ נֵס וְהִדְלִיקוּ מִמֶּנּוּ שְׁמוֹנָה יָמִים. לְשָׁנָה אַחֶרֶת קְבָעוּם וַעֲשָׂאוּם יָמִים טוֹבִים בְּהַלֵּל וְהוֹדָאָה.
The Gemara asks: What is Hanukkah, and why are lights kindled on Hanukkah? The Gemara answers: The Sages taught in Megillat Ta’anit: On the twenty-fifth of Kislev, the days of Hanukkah are eight. One may not eulogize on them and one may not fast on them. What is the reason? When the Greeks entered the Sanctuary they defiled all the oils that were in the Sanctuary by touching them. And when the Hasmonean monarchy overcame them and emerged victorious over them, they searched and found only one cruse of oil that was placed with the seal of the High Priest, undisturbed by the Greeks. And there was sufficient oil there to light the candelabrum for only one day. A miracle occurred and they lit the candelabrum from it eight days. The next year the Sages instituted those days and made them holidays with recitation of hallel and special thanksgiving in prayer and blessings.
And it was written in the book of the chronicles of the high priests, in the reign of Simon, son of Mattathias, the high priest, that he and his sons should be priests and rulers forever, until there should arise a faithful prophet. And the people of the land rejoiced greatly, and they made a feast for Simon in that year. And they decreed that he and his sons should be rulers and priests forever, until there should arise a faithful prophet, and they established for him a new constitution. And Simon took upon himself the title of High Priest and became the political leader, securing his reign as both priest and ruler. (1 Maccabees 14:41-44)
"The Romans laid waste to the whole country, so that not a single village remained. They razed the towns and villages to the ground, and made the land completely desolate, so that no trace of the inhabitants remained. Many were slain, and those who escaped the sword were either taken prisoner or driven out. The blood flowed so freely that it ran up to the nostrils of the horses. The Romans, after the defeat of the Jews, sold many of them into slavery, and they fetched a high price, for they were in demand. A slave was worth as much as 500 denarii, and some were even sold for 1,000 denarii, which was an enormous amount at the time. The whole country was turned into a wilderness, and even the fields, once fertile, were completely destroyed. The number of the slain was so great that the Romans made little account of them, and many of the Jews were driven from their homes. Those who remained were either taken captive or forced to flee. The land was completely devastated, and the destruction was so extensive that not even a trace of the inhabitants was left behind." (Cassius Dio. Roman History. Translated by Earnest Cary. Loeb Classical Library, 1925.)