DBA Resource Page

Jewish Revolts
(66-70 AD & 132-135 AD)
(DBA 66)

In the Spring of 66 AD, the Jews of Roman Judea had had enough of Roman intolerance and rose up in rebellion against the excesses of the procurator Gessius Florus. Without any apparently plan or organized leadership, Rebels seized control of Jerusalem (Hierosolyma) section by section, and then finally massacred the sole cohort of Roman infantry left behind by Florus as a garrison. A relief army of 30,000 under Cestius Gallus, the Roman Governor of Syria, quickly quashed resistance in northern Judea and then marched on Jerusalem, assaulting the walls for eight days and seriously demoralizing the defenders before withdrawing (presumably because his army was proving unreliable and he lacked a seige train to conduct seige operations). Gallus retired to Beth-Horon, where the rejuvenated rebels attacked him, inflicting a heavy defeat. Realizing that the die was irreparably cast for war, the Jewish aristocrat and priest classes quickly organized the country, dividing it into eleven administrative districts, each with its own commander and small army. Unfortunately for their cause, the divided Jewish forces were unable to coordinate their operations or come to each for mutual support.

The Emperor Nero responded to news of Gallus' defeat by dispatching Vespasian to command the three legions and auxiliaries (nearly 60,000 men) already enroute to suppress the rebellion. The Romans successfully beseiged Jotapata and then marched to the port of Caesarea, where they met Vespasian, who lead them across country to Tiberias and Gamala. This campaign successfully secured the Galilee by the close of 67 AD. Roman successes prompted internal dissension among the Jewish leaders, leading the fanatical Zealots under John and their allies, the Idumaean Jews of southern Judea, to overthrow the aristocrats and seize control of Jerusalem. Later, Simon and his bandits entered the city and contested the Zealots' control, making life doubly difficult for the aristocrats and priests.

Vespasian then moved southward in a multi-pronged campaign that resulted in the recapture of Gadara, Jericho and Emmaus, thus successfully isolating the Jewish rebels at Jerusalem by the close of 68 AD. Before he could complete the campaign, however, Nero was overthrown and Vespasian was proclaimed emperor by his eastern legions in July 69 AD. Shortly thereafter, he departed for Rome, leaving his son Titus in command of operations.

Titus then moved on Jerusalem, which fell in September 70 AD, after a seven month seige. The Herodian temple and much of the city was razed, captives were shipped off to the gladiatorial games or Roman mines, and John and Simon were captured and sent to Rome to participate in Vespasian's Triumph, after which Simon was executed. The fall of Jerusalem marked the effective end of the Jewish Revolt (and this period in the DBA army list), however mop-up operations continued for the next four years under the generals Lucilius Bassus and Flavius Silva against fanatical bands of rebels who holed up in fortresses at Herodium, Machaerus and Masada in the south of Judea. Masada was the last to fall (Spring 74 AD). After the Romans had completed extensive preparations for an assault against the rocky citadel, Masada's defenders committed mass suicide rather than risk falling into Roman hands.

The second Jewish Revolt (132-135 AD) was prompted by the Emperor Hadrian, who during his travels through Judea in 130 AD indulged himself in several provocations, including a decree banning circumcism, construction of a tomb to Pompey (who had desecrated the Temple of Yahweh in Jersusalem in 63 BC) and the pronouncement that he would rebuild Jerusalem as the Roman city Aeolia Capitolina, including construction of a temple to Jupiter Capitolinus on the site of Herod's temple. Apparently designed to provoke a reaction, Hadrian's actions certainly did not sit well with the natives, who promptly revolted under the leadership of Simon Bar Kokhba.

Little is recorded of the rebellion, despite the fact that it was fiercely fought and lasted approximately three and a half years before the Roman army under Julius Serverus was able to bring Bar Kokhba to bay in a fortress near Jerusalem. Jewish annals record that 50 forts and 985 villages were destroyed and that 580,000 Jews were killed during the course of the war. The Romans for their part were reputed to have lost the legio XXII Deiotariana. In the rebellion's aftermath, Hadrian permanently banned Jews from setting foot in Jerusalem and then rebuilt the city as a Roman colony.

Army Composition

Enemies

The Jews revolted against the Early Imperial Romans (#64).

Tactics

With six or nine Warband, the basic tactic is to find the shortest distance to the nearest Roman Blades and charge home. Historically, it even worked.....on occasion. It is not an army for the meek or faint at heart. The best way to fight a Jewish Revolt army is to ignore the odds and be aggressive. A zealot in fact. That and roll plenty of 6s.

Camp

A section of Middle-Eastern city wall is an appropriate camp for the Jewish rebels , who were often forced to fight from fortifications. If you're really looking for a challenge, you can try to squeeze Masada onto a camp-sized element base.

Painting Tips

According to Phil Barker's Armies and Enemies of Imperial Rome, Jewish infantry fought on foot, and were typically equipped with javelins and long curved daggers. Only a few (typically officers) had body armor of captured mail or scale corslets. A small percentage would have swords or bows. The historian Josephus reports that they carried long oval shields, some with spiked boss. Clothing consisted of a simple tunic and cloak. Tunics were typically unbleached wool with colored vertical stripes (purple being a common color). Cloaks were typically undyed in dark natural colors, although some individuals might have a brightly dyed cloak. Hair was typically brown or black, with a few redheads or dirty blondes and complexion was medium.

Miniatures

One of the nice things about the Jewish Revolt army is that it's fairly rare, so you are likely to be the only one to have one. The problem, however, is that no-one seems to manufacture minis specifically suited for a Jewish Revolt army. You will have to make do piecing together an army with miniatures scavenged from othe ranges. Viking Forge offer a Jewish Revolt army package for DBA, although they don't offer a specific range of Jewish Revolt figures. The pack is apparently comprised of figures from their Skythian, Greek and/or Persian ranges.

Soldiers culled from earlier Maccabean Jewish ranges may be appropriate. Donnington Miniatures offers a 15mm range that seems to serve for both.

Other Resources

The basic historical resource for the first Jewish revolt is "The Jewish War," by Josephus, an aristocratic Jewish commander who was captured by the Romans in Galilee. Josephus had gathered his forces at Lodefat and successfully held off Roman assaults for 45 days. A stealthy night attack surprised the defenders, who were driven from the walls and cut down in the streets. Josephus fled with 40 comrades to a cave. All had sworn a suicide pact, and Josephus arranged for lots to be drawn with the second man to kill the first and so on. Somehow Josephus managed to draw the last lot. With everyone dead around him, he abandoned the suicide pact and surrendered to the Romans, adopting the name Flavius to gain Vespasian's favor.

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Last Updated: August 24, 1999

Questions, comments, suggestions welcome. Send them to Chris Brantley, brant@erols.com.