The town traditionally associated with the start of the Maccabean revolt is Modi'in.
According to the traditional account in 1 Maccabees, Modi'in was the home of Mattathias, a Jewish priest from the Hasmonean family. Around 167 BCE, Seleucid authorities tried to enforce religious policies there, including sacrifice to Greek deities. Mattathias refused, killed a Jewish man who stepped forward to comply and a royal official, then fled with his sons and supporters into the hill country.
That act is treated as the spark of the Maccabean Revolt against the Seleucid Empire. Mattathias soon died, and leadership passed to his son Judas, who became known as Judas Maccabeus. The rebellion eventually led to the rededication of the Jerusalem Temple commemorated by Hanukkah and, later, Hasmonean independence.
The ancient town’s exact archaeological location remains disputed. Several proposed sites lie near modern Modi'in, whose name and civic identity deliberately recall the ancient settlement. Modi'in is therefore the standard quiz answer even though the precise site is not certain.