1. Jewish rebels who led a successful revolt against the Seleucid Empire in the 2nd century BCE
   "The Maccabees' victory is celebrated during Hanukkah"
    
2. Two books of the Apocrypha that recount the history of the Maccabees
   "The Books of Maccabees provide historical context for the origins of Hanukkah"

Encyclopedia: Maccabees, The Books of