Branch

Here is some history regarding the Bar Kokhba Revolt AD 132-135 Cassius Dio

I wanted to give an update on my writing project and to present an offer. I've put some more revisions on my Roman-era (AD133-135) novel and am offering it as an eBook for $4.99 on Amazon and Smashwords. I'd also like to offer it for free to anyone on this forum in the hopes that you will first of all enjoy it and second of all that you might be inclined to leave a review or provide me feedback on the story whether you enjoyed it or not. Smashwords 100% off coupon code: MP83S (good until February 1st) Iudaea (multiple formats - ePub, PDF, Mobi, HTML, RTF, Plain TXT) Or if you prefer, email me at branch@iudaeanovel.com and I can email you a PDF copy. Here is a brief description of the story again: The year is AD 133 and Marcus Fidelis Coranus is a Roman cavalry officer pulled from his assignment patrolling Hadrian's Wall in Britannia to the hills of Iudaea on the far side of the Empire where a charismatic Jewish leader name Simon bar Kokhba rages a brutal rebellion against Rome. Coran must leave behind his family to face a conflict that will challenge not only his physical limits but also his duty as as soldier and his beliefs about the depth of man's cruelty. Rome is merciless in the suppression of this last great Jewish revolt in the ancient world, and Coran must weigh his ideals against the reality of war while fighting through his own self-doubt and guilt. It is a timeless story about how cataclysmic events can either make us lose sight of our humanity or lead us to it. Thanks

As I researched this conflict I was amazed not only with the scale of this seemingly obscure revolt but also of its significance to the plight of the Jewish people for over two millennium - like you said it planted the seeds of many of the future conflicts in the region. This is a quote from Wikipedia that I think describes the significance of the conflict: "Modern historians have come to view the Bar-Kokhba Revolt as being of decisive historic importance. The massive destruction and loss of life occasioned by the revolt has led some scholars to date the beginning of the Jewish diaspora from this date. They note that, unlike the aftermath of the First Jewish-Roman War chronicled by Josephus, the majority of the Jewish population of Judea was either killed, exiled, or sold into slavery after the Bar-Kokhba Revolt, and Jewish religious and political authority was suppressed far more brutally. After the revolt the Jewish religious center shifted to the Babylonian Jewish community and its scholars. Judea would not be a center of Jewish religious, cultural, or political life again until the modern era, though Jews continued to live there and important religious developments still occurred there." Little facts about the conflict amaze me too - like how the Jews used the caves as hiding places and storehouses very much like the Palestinians are using them today to hide and tunnel out of Gaza and even to conduct raids in Israel. It is forcing the Israelis to scour out the tunnels much like the Romans had to against the Israeli's ancestors.

Here is the actual quote from Josephus's The Jewish War that I was thinking of in the previous post. It is actually a tactic used by Herod against bandits that were hiding in caves. "These caves opened on to almost vertical slopes and could not be reached from any direction except 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 fraught 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 were brought out forcibly many preferred death to captivity." The passage goes on to describe one old man who kills his seven children and his wife at the mouth of the cave so Herod could see and then jumps to his death on the rocks below - all to avoid captivity.

I've just finished a novel length story set during the Bar Kokhba Revolt (AD 132 - AD 135) and besides the Roman Empire Map I purchased from this site and the abundance of information about the legions I also got from this site, I found a great resource for any one interested in this time period. The Bar Kokhba War Reconsidered edited by Peter Schafer does an excellent job of using archaeological and epigraphic evidence to create a clearer picture of this little documented but major revolt. Two chapters in particular give a fascinating look at the cave complexes the Jews used during this revolt. And the authors make it clear that these cave systems were used as a important part of the Jewish offensive rather than as defensive positions of last resort as they were used in the First Jewish Revolt. With this in mind, does any one know of any good descriptions of how the Romans dealt strategically with these highly defensible Jewish positions. For my writing, I used mainly examples from Josephus's Jewish War to portray Roman strategies but was wondering if anyone has read of legion tactics in tight quarters. If anyone is interested in my story I'm releasing 12 or so chapters a little at a time in a new blog I've just set up at www.iudaeanovel.com I'm also going to be posting historical information about the conflict and reviews of books that I used for research. I'd like to invite all of you to come take a look. I'm hoping between the story and the history you will find something interesting. I also welcome any comments and creative criticism you might have concerning the writing or historical accuracy of the text. Once again, I'd like to thank UNRV for all the inspiration and information they have provided over the years, Jim www.iudaeanovel.com

Hey everyone, My name is Jim Branch and I've written a novel length story set between AD 133 and AD 135 during the Bar Kokhba Revolt in the Roman province of Iudaea. I'm releasing 12 or so chapters for free a little at a time in a new blog I've just set up at www.iudaeanovel.com I'm also going to be posting historical information about the conflict and reviews of books that I used for research. I'd like to invite all of you to come take a look. I'm hoping between the story and the history you will find something interesting. I also welcome any comments and creative criticism you might have concerning the writing or historical accuracy of the text. Here is a brief description of the story: Iudaea is the story of a Roman cavalry officer who is pulled from his assignment patrolling Hadrian

I came across a couple of references to Casson's book online - thanks for the recommendation. I've requested one of Casson's books from the local library and I'm probably going to buy Ships and Seamanship of the Ancient World - from all the reviews I've read it is supposed to have great descriptions and illustrations backed by archaeological and historical evidence.

Thank you Germanicus - especially for taking the time to quote the references. I've found some full-text translations of "The Civil War" online and am searching it through. Using your reference as a starting point I found some interesting sites for anyone interested in this topic: This one gives some interesting details about the Cavalry in Britain plus the estimate "that one cavalryman with horse takes the same space as 4 or 5 infantrymen" on a transport ship - Fell Pony Museum - Romans I also came across this site Navis Romana that is under construction but if completed promises to be an excellent source for archaeological information on Roman era ships.

For my first post, I have a question concerning the Roman cavalry. Has anyone come across any references to the movement of Roman cavalry on the Mediterranean Sea? I'm interested in any references to the transport of horses on ships - if it took place, the types of ships used, and potential problems. I'm particularly interested in the time period around 130AD. I've searched through Dixon and Southern's The Roman Cavalry but haven't found anything. Thanks for any help.