an inscription in Greek that reads "Salōmē, wife (daughter?) of Jakeimos". It is speculated that this ossuary might hold the bones of Alcimus's wife or possibly daughter; it is from the roughly correct era of time and Gophna had many priests, although others wealthy enough to inter their family's bones might have had the same name. Political situation By the time of Alcimus's reign as High Priest, the Maccabees had radicalized into seeking a starker break from Seleucid political control. The author of 1 Maccabees describes any who worked with Alcimus as godless traitors, but it seems that there was a branch of moderates caught in the middle - moderate Hellenists who were happy to work with Alcimus as long as religious protections were guaranteed and Antiochus IV's decrees stayed repealed. This would explain why the Hasideans were willing to work with Alcimus at first, why the books of Maccabees discuss Nicanor's attempted negotiations with Judas, and the author's frustration at how "all the troublers of their people rallied to him (Alcimus), overran the land of Judah, and inflicted a great defeat on Israel." While the surviving sources are hostile to Alcimus, it does appear that they grudgingly concede he was able to rally more allies to his cause than Menelaus had. Alcimus's coalition building, however he managed it, would go on to cause problems for the Maccabees, who would suffer military disaster in 160 BCE and be forced to retreat to the countryside seemingly in defeat. Psalm 79 quote The book of 1 Maccabees quotes Psalm 79 after describing the death of the Hasideans: "The flesh of your faithful ones and their blood / they poured out all around Jerusalem, / and there was no one to bury them." (, ) The statement introducing it says that he (Alcimus) seized the sixty and killed them, and continues on to say in most translations that it is in accordance with the word that was written in the Psalm. However, Benjamin Scolnic (citing Jonathan A. Goldstein) argues a more direct translation would be as a continuation of "he" (Alcimus) both seizing the Hasideans and writing the verse. If that was the intent of the author of 1 Maccabees, it would suggest that Alcimus himself wrote the Psalm himself as a lament, which would rather change the tenor of the verse and offer a more sympathetic portrayal to Alcimus. More favorable sources