A History of the Jewish War: AD 66-74

702 Pages·2016·39.789 MB·English

by  Steve Mason

A HISTORY OF THE JEWISH WAR
AconflictthateruptedbetweenRomanlegionsandsomeJudaeansinlate
A.D. 66 had an incalculable impact on Rome’s physical appearance and
imperial governance; on ancient Jews bereft of their mother-city and
temple; and on early Christian fortunes. Historical scholarship and cinema
aliketendtoseetheconflictastheculminationoflongJewishresistanceto
Romanoppression.Inthisvolume,SteveMasonre-examinesthewarinall
relevant contexts (e.g., the Parthian dimension, Judaea’s place in Roman
Syria) and phases, from the Hasmoneans to the fall of Masada. Mason
approaches each topic as a historical investigation, clarifying problems that
need to be solved, understanding the available evidence, and considering
scenarios that might explain the evidence. The simplest reconstructions
make the conflict more humanly intelligible while casting doubt on
received knowledge.
Steve Mason is Distinguished Professor of Ancient Mediterranean Reli-
gionsandCulturesintheFacultyofTheologyandReligiousStudiesatthe
University of Groningen. A former Canada Research Chair (in Greco-
Roman Cultural Interaction) at Toronto’s York University and Visiting
Fellow in Oxford and Berlin, he has published several monographs and
scores of essays on Roman Judaea, Josephus, Flavian Rome, Christian
origins, and historical method. He edits the multivolume international
projectFlavius Josephus:Translationand Commentary.

A HISTORY OF THE
JEWISH WAR
A.D. 66–74
STEVE MASON
University of Groningen
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LibraryofCongressCataloginginPublicationData
Mason,Steve,1957-author.
AhistoryoftheJewishWar,AD66-74/SteveMason,UniversityofGroningen.
pages cm
Includesbibliographicalreferencesandindex.
isbn978-0-521-85329-3(Hardback)
1. Josephus,Flavius–Criticismandinterpretation. 2. Jews–History–Rebellion,66-73.
3. Josephus,Flavius.DebelloJudaico. I. Title.
ds115.9.j6m3772015
9330.05–dc23 2015016873
isbn978-0-521-85329-3Hardback
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CONTENTS
List of Illustrations page vii
List of Tables ix
Acknowledgements xi
part i contexts 1
1 A FAMOUS AND UNKNOWN WAR 3
2 UNDERSTANDING HISTORICAL EVIDENCE: JOSEPHUS’
JUDEAN WAR IN CONTEXT 60
3 PARTHIAN SAVIOURS, SIEGES, AND MORALE:
ANCIENT WARFARE IN HUMAN PERSPECTIVE 138
part ii investigations 197
4 WHY DID THEY DO IT?: ANTECEDENTS,
CIRCUMSTANCES, AND “CAUSES” OF THE REVOLT 199
5 NERO’S WAR I: THE BLUNDER OF CESTIUS GALLUS? 281
6 NERO’S WAR II: FLAVIANS IN GALILEE 335
7 JERUSALEM I: JOSEPHUS AND THE
EDUCATION OF TITUS 402
8 JERUSALEM II: COINS, COUNCILS,
CONSTRUCTIONS 466
9 A TALE OF TWO ELEAZARS:
MACHAERUS AND MASADA 514
CONCLUSIONS 576
v
vi CONTENTS
Appendix 591
Bibliography 595
Bibliographical Abbreviations 633
Index of Modern Authors 635
Index to Historical Persons, Groups, and Places 643
Index of Texts, Inscriptions, and Papyri 655
ILLUSTRATIONS
1 Spoils Relief in the South Panel as It Looks Today. page 9
2 The Haterii Tomb Relief, Showing Five Flavian Monuments
34
Couched in Triumphal Themes.
3 Decorated Cuirass from Statue of (presumed) Vespasian,
44
Forum of Sabratha (modern Libya).
4 Engraving of the Arch of Titus (Veduta dell’Arco di Tito)
by Giovanni Battista Piranesi, ca. 1760. 53
5 Arch of Titus West Face, with Forum behind Observer,
after Major Restoration under Pius VII (1818–1823). 55
6 Postcard from Trani Displaced Persons Camp, September 1949.
ThemainHebrewbannerreads,“Mayyoubeinscribedforagoodyear!”
(year5710).Thesmallercaptionbelow:“LongliveourhomelandIsrael!” 57
7 Chart of Word Counts in Each Volume of the Judean War. 96
8 Example of Iudaea Capta Bronze sestertius from Vespasian A.D. 71,
104
Severely Miniaturizing Conquered Judaea.
9 The Triumphal Arch Created by Jerusalem’s Jewish Community
for Kaiser Wilhelm II and Kaiserin Augusta Victoria, October 1898,
128
complementing municipal and Muslim arches.
10 A Classic Reconstruction of Jerusalem’s Temple Mount. 184
11 Cutaway View of the Building Stages of the Temple Mount, the
Largest Area Being Herod’s Retaining Wall, also Showing the Bedrock. 184
12 The Drainage Tunnel Excavated by R. Reich and E. Shukron,
Extending from the Southwestern Edge of the Temple Mount to
186
the Pool of Siloam, Walking Upward toward the Temple Mount.
13 Map of pre-70 “Judaea” in Cambridge Ancient History 10, p. 738. 228
14 Map of pre-70 Judaea in Regional Context, Indicating the Main
Ethnic Zones, Poleis, and Their Territories. Judea proper and areas
of predominantly Judaean habitation, recognized by Rome soon after
Pompey’s conquest, are indicated by a thick line. 229
15 Commanding View Westward to Mediterranean from Upper
292
Beit-Horon.
16 MapfromConder,Kitchener,Warren1881–1884,Sheet17:theRoman
294
RoadfromJerusalemtotheBeit-HoronPassviaGabaon(el-Jib).
17 The Year 66, Julian Solar Months (left) Aligned with
302
Hebrew/Macedonian months.
vii
viii LIST OF ILLUSTRATIONS
18 Comparison:LegatesofSyriaandCappadocia(forArmenia)withForces. 314
19 Lower Galilee, Aerial from the Southwest with Topographical Features,
340
Roman Roads, and Key Sites.
20 Remains of Tiberias’ First-century Theatre, toward Kinneret Lake. 342
21 Looking Northward from Iotapata. 346
22 Gamala from the East. 349
23 Calendar of A.D. 67 Showing Julian-Roman Solar Months Aligned
378
with Hebrew Lunar (and Macedonian) Months.
24 Plan of Jerusalem ca. A.D. 66, with the Area of the Modern Old
408
City Shaded.
25 Model of First-century Jerusalem at the Israel Museum, from South. 409
26 Calendar of A.D. 68 Showing Julian-Roman Solar Months Aligned
414
with Hebrew Lunar (and Macedonian) Months.
27 Calendar of A.D. 69 Showing Julian-Roman Solar Months Aligned
415
with Hebrew Lunar (and Macedonian) Months.
28 Plan of Jerusalem with Titus’s Five Successive Groups of
437
Siege Ramps Marked.
29 Calendar of A.D. 70 Showing Julian-Roman Solar
439
Months Aligned with Hebrew Lunar (and Macedonian) Months.
30 Gold Aureus of Vespasian, from Lugdunum (Lyons),
454
Celebrating His Triumph with Bound Judaean Prisoner Ahead.
31 Section of the Adiabenian Royal Tomb Complex
461
Northeast of Jerusalem.
32 Mosaic Floor, Storage Vessels, and Furnishings, including
HighandLowStoneTablefromMansionHouseinpre-70UpperCity. 467
33 Silver Shekel from Year 1 (A.D. 66–67): Shekel of Israel /Jerusalem is
473
Holy, with Defective Spelling and Relatively Crude Imagery.
34 Example of a Silver Shekel from Year 2 (A.D. 67–68):
Shekel of Israel /Jerusalem the Holy, with Plene Spelling
473
and More Elegant Images.
35 Benedictine Abbey on Monte Cassino from Cassino Town below. 504
36 The Situation of Machaerus, Oriented Northwest toward the
Dead Sea. Dr. Győző Vörös (of the Hungarian Academy of Arts;
Director of the Machaerus Research Project) has superimposed a
reconstruction of the ancient site on an aerial photograph by
520
Dr. David L. Kennedy.
37 The Hill of Machaerus Today, from Approximately Where
Bassus’s Camp Would Have Been (Jumeijme). The collapsed aqueduct
521
foundation is visible in the lower centre (parallel stone walls).
38 Aerial view of Masada from the South. 523
39 The Implications of Josephus’ Schematic Description of Silva’s
Ramp, Stone Platform, and Siege Tower (War 7.305–309). 559
40 ChartShowingEpisodesofKnownCombatduringJewish-RomanWar. 589
TABLES
1 Comparative Table: Josephus’ Prospectus of War’s
Contents (1.19–30) Compared to Its Actual Contents. page 86
2 Comparison of Cestius’ and Vespasian’s Forces. 310
3 Comparative Table: War 2 vs. Life on the Preparatory
Phase of the Galilean Conflict. 356
4 Comparison: the Sieges of Machaerus and Masada Stories
in Josephus’ War. 534
ix