Editing Lod (section)

===Classical era===
From the fifth century BCE until the [[Roman period]], the city was a centre of Jewish scholarship<ref>Rozenfeld, 2010, p. [https://books.google.com/books?id=dD_dGmWh73QC&pg=PA52 52]</ref> and commerce.<ref name=EB>"Lod," ''Encyclopædia Britannica'', 2009.</ref> 

According to British historian [[Martin Gilbert]], during the [[Hasmonean]] period, [[Jonathan Maccabee]] and his brother, [[Simon Maccabaeus]], enlarged the area under Jewish control, which included conquering the city.<ref>[[Martin Gilbert|Gilbert, Martin]]. ''Dearest Auntie Flori: The Story of the Jewish People''. New York: Harper Collins 2002, p. 82; also see Josephus, ''Antiquities of the Jews'' 14: 208</ref>