Tannaim, Tannaim

The period of the Tannaim , also referred to as the Mishnaic period, lasted about 130 years. It came after the period of the Zugot ("pairs"), and was immediately followed by the period of the Amoraim.

The Pharisees were a more egalitarian sect; they accepted students from all the tribes, not only the Levites, and they also taught laws in addition to those set forth in the Torah. These laws make up the Mishnah, whose compilation marked the end of the period of the Tannaim.

According to tradition, the Tannaim were the last generation in a long sequence of oral teachers that began with Moses.

Source: Wikipedia > Tannaim