The Siege of Jerusalem is one of the most important battles in human history. The siege has a direct and lasting impact on millions of Jews and Christians across the globe. It’s a story of hundreds of thousands of deaths, forced enslavement, and barbaric mass destruction. It’s the fall of the temple that could not fall. It’s a massive city burned at 1400 degrees Fahrenheit. Tonight’s story is a tale of mass suicide – a suicide that inspires Jews even until this day. It’s all here and it’s all for free on Battlecast – the world’s foremost podcast on war and its sociopolitical impact.

This is part 2 of a two part series. You can find episode one here: episode 48

Download episode 49 here: download

Maps:

References:

The Jewish War by Josephus

The Antiquities of the Jews by Josephus

The History of the Jews in the Greco-Roman World by Peter Schafer

Jews in the Greco-Roman World by Martin Goodman

The First Jewish Revolt: Archaeology, History and Ideology by Andrea Berlin and J. Andrew Overman

The Histories by Tacitus

A History of the Jewish War: A.D. 66–74 by Steve Mason

Rome and Jerusalem by Martin Goodman

The Jewish Revolt AD 66–74 by Si Shepperd 

Between Rome and Jerusalem: 300 years of Roman-Judean Relations by Martin Sicker

Jewish Reactions to the Destruction of Jerusalem in 70 A.D. by Kenneth Jones

Jerusalem’s traitor: Josephus, Masada, and the fall of Judea by Desmond Seward 

City of Ruins by Derek Daschke 

Great World Religions: Judaism. 12-part video series by Isaiah Gafni

A History of the Jews by Paul Johnson

A History of the Jewish People by Haim Hillel Ben-Sasson et al.