The Jewish War

[John Reece]

The Jewish War

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Meanwhile Ventidius, the Roman commander sent from Syria to check the Parthians, after dealing with them had crossed into Judea, professedly to assist Joseph, but really to get money out of Antigonus. He encamped very close to Jerusalem, and after lining his pockets to his satisfaction withdrew with most of his troops; but he left Silo in command of a detachment, for fear that the removal of the whole army might make it only too evident what he had been after. Antigonus meanwhile, in the hope of further help from the Parthians courted Silo to avoid any interference with the fulfillment of this hope.

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[John Reece]

The Jewish War

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But this time Herod had sailed from Italy to Ptolemais, and having raised a substantial force of Jews and foreigners was marching through Galilee against Antigonus, with the cooperation of Ventidius and Silo, whom Dellius on Antony's behalf had induced to assist Herod's return. But Ventidius was busy settling sporadic disturbances resulting from the Parthian occupation, and Silo remained in Judaea, bribed with Antigonus's money. Not that Herod lacked support: as he moved on his strength steadily grew, and apart from a few localities all Galilee took up his cause. The most urgent task facing him was Masada; he must first of all rescue his family and friends from the siege. Joppa stood in the way; it was in enemy hands and must be reduced first; otherwise while he went on to Jerusalem his opponents would remain in possession of a stronghold behind his back. He was joined by Silo, who was only too pleased to have found a pretext for leaving Jerusalem. The Jews followed in pursuit but Herod swooped on them with a handful of men, routing them easily and rescuing Silo, whose efforts at defense were feeble. He then took Joppa and hurried on to Masada to rescue his friends. Some of the country-folk were drawn to him by their friendship with his father, some by his own fame, some by the desire to repay the kindnesses of both, but the largest number by the prospect of a stable monarchy; consequently he had now got together an almost invincible army. Antigonus tried to check his progress by laying ambushes at suitable points on his route, very ineffectively, as it turned out. Herod had no difficulty in freeing his friends in Masada and recovering the fortress of Thresa. He then set out for Jerusalem, and was joined by Silo's men and many Jews from the City, alarmed at his strength.

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[John Reece]

The Jewish War

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Having pitched their camp west of the town, Herod's men became the target for the arrows and javelins of the guards on that side, while others made sorties to test the strength of his outposts. Herod at once had a proclamation made all round the walls that he came for the good of the people and the preservation of the City, and that he would take no action even against his undisguised enemies but would grant even his bitterest foes an amnesty. Antigonus' staff countered this appeal by forbidding anyone to listen to the proclamations or to cross over; so Herod gave his men leave from then on to return the shots from the battlements, and they hurled their missiles to such effect that the towers were quickly cleared of defenders.

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[John Reece]

The Jewish War

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At this point Silo's venality became evident. He put up a number of his men to raise a clamor about short rations and demand money for food, and to insist on being marched to winter quarters in a suitable locality; there was nothing to be had anywhere in the City, as Antigonus' men had taken the lot! But Herod approached the Roman officers, and then appealed to the rank and file not to leave him in the lurch when he had come with the authority of Caesar, Antony, and the Senate. That very day he would supply their wants. He had no sooner ended this appeal than he set out in person to the country-side, returning with supplies in such abundance as gave the lie to all Silo's pretexts; and to guard against any possible shortage in the coming days he requested the people living round Samaria ― that city having espoused his cause ― to bring corn, wine, and cattle to Jericho. Having heard this, Antigonus sent orders round the country to block or ambush the food-convoys. The people obeyed, and a large number of armed men gathered above Jericho, and stationed themselves on the hills to watch for the supply column. However Herod was not idle; he set off with ten cohorts, five Roman, five Jewish, with a sprinkling of mercenaries and a few of the cavalry, and arrived at Jericho, which he found deserted; but the high ground had been occupied by five hundred men and their wives and families. These he captured but set free, while the Romans poured into the rest of the town and looted it, as they found the houses full of luxuries of every kind. Leaving a garrison in Jericho the king returned, and sent away the Roman contingent to winter in places that had come over to him ― Idumaea, Galilee, and Samaria. Antigonus for his part by taking advantage of Silo's venality persuaded him to billet a portion of his army in Lydda ― a sop to Antony.

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[John Reece]

The Jewish War

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While the Romans enjoyed every comfort and a complete rest from fighting, Herod was not idle. He occupied Idumaea with 400 horse and 2,000 foot led by his brother Joseph, to forestall any movement in support of Antigonus. His own task was to transfer his mother, and the kinsmen and friends he had brought out of Masada, to Samaria; when he had settled them safely there, he marched on to secure the remainder of Galilee and expel Antigonus' garrisons. Forcing his way through a blizzard to Sepphoris he occupied the city without opposition, the defenders fleeing at his approach. There he refreshed his followers, battered by the storm, with the plentiful supplies available, setting out next against the bandits who lived in caves and overran a great of the country, causing the inhabitants as much misery as a war could have done. Sending on three infantry brigades and one troop of cavalry to the village of Arbela, he joined them six weeks later with the rest of his army. His coming failed to frighten the enemy, who went out armed to meet him with all the skill of warriors as well as the fearlessness of bandits, and joining battle routed Herod's left wing with their right. Promptly swinging round his own right wing, Herod came to the rescue, made his fleeing troops face about, and falling on the pursuers brought their advance to a halt, finally breaking their resistance by frontal attacks and putting them to flight. He pursued them to the Jordan, attacking all way and destroying a large portion of them, the survivors scattering beyond the river. Galilee could now breath again; the only bandits left were lurking in caves and it would take time to deal with them. So Herod's next act was to bestow on his soldiers the fruits of their toil, rewarding each man 150 silver drachmas and sending much larger sums to the officers in the various camps in which they were wintering. Pheroras, his youngest brother, he appointed to lay in store of provisions for them and to fortify Alexandreum. Both tasks Pheroras faithfully performed.

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[John Reece]

The Jewish War

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At this period Antony was living near Athens, and Ventidius sent for Silo and Herod to take part in the Parthian war, instructing them first to settle the problem of Judaea. Herod was delighted to second Silo to Ventidius, while he himself took the field against the bandits in the caves. These caves opened on to almost vertical slopes and could not be reached from any direction by winding, steep, and very narrow paths; the cliff in front stretched right down into ravines of immense depth dropping straight into the torrent-bed. So for a long time the king was defeated by the appalling difficulty of the ground, finally resorting to a plan frought with the utmost danger. He lowered the toughest of his soldiers in cradles till they reached the mouths of the caves; they then slaughtered the bandits with their families and threw firebrands at those who proved awkward. Wishing to save some of them, Herod invited them to come up to him. Not a man voluntarily surrendered, and of those who were brought out forcibly many preferred death to captivity. One old man, father of seven children, was begged by the children and their mother to let them come out as their lives were guaranteed. His response was terrible. One by one he ordered them to come out, while he stood at the cave and killed each son as he emerged. Herod, in a good position to watch, was cut to the heart, and stretched out his hand to the old man, begging him to spare his children; but he, treating the suggestion with contempt, went so far as to sneer at Herod for his lack of guts, and after disposing of the last of his sons and killing his wife too, flung their bodies down the precipice and finally lept over the edge himself.

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[John Reece]

The Jewish War

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Master now of the caves and the cave-dwellers, Herod left what he deemed a sufficient force to deal with any rising, with Ptolemy in command, and turned back towards Samaria with 600 cavalry and 3,000 heavy infantry to settle accounts with Antigonus. His departure removed all restraint from the habitual trouble-makers in Galilee; they killed his general Ptolemy in a surprise attack and systematically ravaged the country, establishing their lairs in the marshes and other inaccessible places. Informed of the rising Herod speedily came to the rescue, destroyed a large number of the insurgents, reduced all their fortresses by siege, and as a penalty for their fickleness made the towns pay a fine of 100 talents.

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[John Reece]

The Jewish War

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By now the Parthians had been driven out and Pacorus killed: so Ventidius was able at Antony's suggestion to send support to Herod in his struggle with Antigonus ― two legions and 1,000 horse. Their commander Machaeras received a letter from Antigonus begging him to come to his aid instead, complaining bitterly of Herod's unscrupulous use of force against his kingdom, and promising to make it worth his while. Machaeras however was not prepared to disobey higher authority ― especially as Herod was offering more; so he refused to turn traitor, and simulating friendship went to spy out Antigonus' position, disregarding Herod's warnings. Antigonus was not deceived, but shut the City gates in his face and shot at him from the ramparts as an enemy, till the crestfallen general returned to Herod at Emmaus, so furious at his failure that he killed every Jew he met on the way, not sparing even Herod's men but treating everyone as a supporter of Antigonus. This made Herod so angry that he was on the point of attacking Machaeras as an enemy, but mastering his rage he set out for Antony's headquarters to expose the outrageous conduct of his subordinate. Machaeras, realizing his mistake, followed on the king's heels and by eating humble pie mollified him. But Herod continued on his journey all the same; and when he heard that Antony was conducting a large-scale attack on Samosata, a well-fortified city near the Euphrates, he increased his speed, seeing an excellent chance of showing his mettle and placing Antony under an obligation. And so it proved. As soon as he arrived he finished the siege for them, killing masses of the enemy and capturing quantities of booty, so that Antony's old admiration of his prowess was greatly strengthened, and he heaped new honors upon him, confirming his hopes of mounting the throne, while King Antiochus was forced to surrender Samosata.

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[John Reece]

The Jewish War

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Meanwhile a heavy blow befell Herod"s fortunes in Judaea. He had left his brother Joseph in complete charge, instructing him to make no move against Antigonus till his return, since the unreliability of Machaeras as an ally was evident from what he had done. But as soon as Joseph heard that his brother was a long way off, he disregarded his instructions and marched toward Jericho with five cohorts contributed by Machaeras; he went with the intention of seizing the corn-crop at the height of summer. he himself was killed after playing a hero's part in the battle, and the Romans perished to a man. The cohorts were new levies from Syria, with no stiffening of veterans to strengthen the moral of raw recruits. Not satisfied with his victory, Antigonus went to such an extreme of fury that he even mutilated Joseph's corpse. Having got possession of the bodies of the dead he cut off his head, although his brother Pheroras offered to redeem it for fifty talents. Antigonus' victory was followed by such an upheaval in Galilee that his partisans dragged the more important of Herod's adherents to the lake and drowned them. Many parts of Idumaea too changed sides, though Machaeras was there, rebuilding a stronghold called Gittha.

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[John Reece]

The Jewish War

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Not a word of all this had yet come to Herod's ears. After the fall of Samosata Antony had made Sosius governor of Syria, instructing him to assist Herod against Antigonus, while he himself returned to Egypt. Sosius accordingly sent two legions ahead to reinforce Herod in Syria, following on his heels with the rest of his army. But while Herod was at Daphne near Antioch, vivid dreams informed him of his brother's death, and as he sprang with alarm from his bed messengers came in with news of the disaster. For a brief while he gave vent to his distress, then postponing further mourning hurried off at a killing pace in the direction of his enemies. Arriving at Lebanon he was reinforced by eight hundred of the hillmen and joined by one Roman legion. Without waiting for daylight he led this mixed force into Galilee, where he was met by the enemy but drove them back to their base and began continuous assault on its fortifications. Before he could take it a phenomenal storm compelled him to seek shelter in the village nearby. When a few days later the second legion sent by Antony joined forces with him, his increased strength alarmed the enemy, and in the night they abandoned the stronghold. Herod next passed through Jericho, determined to take the speediest vengeance on his brother's killers. There thanks to providence he had an astonishing and miraculous escape, which gained him the reputation of being the darling of heaven. Many of the local magistrates has dined with him that evening, and when the banquet was over and everyone had left, the building immediately caved in. Deeming this a joint portent of dangers and deliverance in the coming campaign, at dawn he moved forward with his army. About 6,000 of the enemy charged down from the hills and engaged his advance guard: they did not feel inclined to meet the Romans hand to hand, but pelted them at long range with stones and javelins, wounding a large number, including Herod himself, who as he rode along was struck by a javelin in the side.

To be continued...

[John Reece]

The Jewish War

Continued from prior post↑

Not a word of all this had yet come to Herod's ears. After the fall of Samosata Antony had made Sosius governor of Syria, instructing him to assist Herod against Antigonus, while he himself returned to Egypt. Sosius accordingly sent two legions ahead to reinforce Herod in Syria, following on his heels with the rest of his army. But while Herod was at Daphne near Antioch, vivid dreams informed him of his brother's death, and as he sprang with alarm from his bed messengers came in with news of the disaster. For a brief while he gave vent to his distress, then postponing further mourning hurried off at a killing pace in the direction of his enemies. Arriving at Lebanon he was reinforced by eight hundred of the hillmen and joined by on Roman legion. Without waiting for daylight he led this mixed force into Galilee, where he was met by the enemy but drove them back to their base and began continuous assault on its fortifications. Before he could take it a phenomenal storm compelled him to seek shelter in the village nearby. When a few days later the second legion sent by Antony joined forces with him, his increased strength alarmed the enemy, and in the night they abandoned the stronghold. Herod next passed through Jericho, determined to take the speediest vengeance on his brother's killers. There thanks to providence he had an astonishing and miracles escape, which gained him the reputation of being the darling of heaven. Many of the local magistrates has dined with him that evening, and when the banquet was over and everyone had left, the building immediately caved in. Deeming this a joint portent of dangers and deliverance in the coming campaign, at dawn he moved forward with his army. About 6,000 of the enemy charged down from the hills and engaged his advance guard: they did not feel inclined to meet the Romans hand to hand, but pelted them at long range with stones and javelins, wounding a large number, including Herod himself, who as he rode along was struck by a javelin in the side.

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[John Reece]

The Jewish War

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It was the wish of Antigonus to give the impression that his men were superior not only in daring but also in numbers; so he sent Pappus, one of his associates, with an army to Samaria. Their task was to oppose Machaeras. Herod for his part overran the enemy country, reduced five little towns, destroyed 2,000 of the inhabitants, fired the houses, and returned to his camp near the village of Isana. He was joined by a steady stream of Jews from Jericho and other places, some through hatred of Antigonus, others impressed by Herod's successes, but most in the grip of an unaccountable longing for change. Herod was impatient for a fight, and Pappus, completely confident in the face of superior numbers and Herod's extraordinary energy, advanced against him eager for the fray. When the clash came, most of the enemy line stood firm for a time; but Herod, remembering his murdered brother and risking everything to get his revenge on the murderers, quickly mastered the troops facing him and then attacked in turn all the groups that still held out, till in the end the whole army was in flight. The carnage was frightful, with the enemy driven back into the village from which they had set out and Herod mercilessly assailing their rear and killing more than could be counted. Along with the enemy he rushed into the village, where every house was packed with armed men and the roofs crowded with defenders who threw missiles down at him. First, defeating those outside, he tore the houses to pieces and dragged out those within. On a great many he pulled down the roofs, destroying them in masse; those who crawled out of the ruins were met by the soldiers sword in hand: so vast were the piles of corpses that the streets were blocked to the victors. Such a blow the enemy could not survive; those who reassembled after the battle, seeing the destruction of the village, fled in all directions. Emboldened by his victory, Herod would at once have driven on to Jerusalem, if he had not been held up by a most violent storm. This circumstance robbed him of his crowning success and final defeat of Antigonus, who was already planning to abandon the City.

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[John Reece]

The Jewish War

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In the evening Herod dismissed his weary comrades to refresh themselves while he himself, still hot from the fight, went to take a bath like any other soldier, attended by a single slave. He was on the point of entering the bath-house when one of the enemy dashed out in front of him sword in hand, then a second and a third, with others in their train. These men had fled from the battlefield into the bath-house fully armed. There they had cowered unnoticed for a time, but when they saw the king, they lost their nerve entirely and ran past him, unarmed as he was, shaking with fear, and dashed for the exits. As it happened, no one else was there to seize the men and Herod was content to have come to no harm, so they all got away. Next day he cut off the head of Pappus, Antigonus' general, who had perished in the fighting, and sent it to his brother Pheroras as reparation for their murdered brother; for it was Pappus who had killed Joseph.

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[John Reece]

The Jewish War

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When the storm died down, Herod drove on towards Jerusalem and brought his army up to the walls. It was now the third year since he had been proclaimed king in Rome. He pitched his camp opposite the Temple, as from that direction an attack could be launched, and it was from there that Pompey had captured the City. Dividing the task among the troops, he stripped the suburbs of trees and ordered three artificial platforms to be raised and towers erected on them. Then, leaving his most competent subordinates to supervise the work, he went off to Samaria to fetch Alexander's daughter, whom he promised to marry, as mentioned before. He made his wedding incidental to the siege ― he no longer took the enemy seriously. The wedding over, back he went to Jerusalem with still stronger forces. Sosius too joined him at the head of a very large army of horse and foot which he had sent on by the inland route while he himself marched through Phoenicia. The combined forces totaled eleven infantry brigades and 6,000 cavalry, not counting the Syrian auxiliaries, who added considerably to the strength. They encamped together near the north wall, Herod relying on the senatorial decrees appointing him king, Sosius on Antony's decision to send the army under his command to support Herod.

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[John Reece]

The Jewish War

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The Jewish masses throughout the City showed their agitation in various ways. Crowding round the Sanctuary the feebler creatures behaved as if possessed, and feigning inspiration poured out a mass of 'prophecies' to fit the situation; the bolder spirits went out in gangs to carry out raids of every kind, and especially to seize all supplies within reach of the City, leaving no food for man or beast. Of the fighting-men the more disciplined were organized to resist the besiegers; from the ramparts they hindered the raising of the platforms and countered the engines with a succession of new devices: in nothing did they score so much over the enemy as in their mining operations. The king parried the raids by devising ambushes which put a stop to their excursions; and he got the better of the fighting-men by using Roman tactical skill, though they showed amazing audacity. In broad daylight they would hurl themselves against the Roman lines to certain death, and through their mine-shafts they would suddenly appear in the middle of Herod's men; and before any section of the wall was battered down they would build another in its stead ― in short, with neither hand nor brain did they show the slightest weariness, determined as they were to hold out to the last. Indeed, despite the overwhelming strength of the besieging army, they maintained their resistance for more than four months.

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