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The Forts of Judaea 168 BC-AD 73: From the Maccabees to the Fall of Masada (Fortress)

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A fine visual source on the fortifications of the Maccabean, Hasmonean, and Herodian Jewish States from the 2nd Century BC to the 1st Century AD, full of diagrams and color photos, as well as detailed descriptions and analysises based both on archaeology and the writings of Flavius Josephus and others. The author, Samuel Rocco, is a veteran of the IDF and is an expert on Biblical and Jewish archaeology, specializing in the Herodian Period.

The fortifications of Judaea have an interesting history, their construction and appearance having both pre and post-exile Jewish, and Seleucid and Roman elements. Their strategic roles were various, though most were designed for internal purposes-the holding of political prisoners (Alexander and Aristobulus, the sons of Herod the Great, and John the Baptist being three famous examples) and places of refuge for the king in the event of a revolt.

Osprey has long neglected both the post-Alexandrian Hellenistic Period and the Classical Jewish states, but this title and the forthcoming `Army of Herod the Great' will help to fill that unfortunate gap. This is a solidly-written, well-researched, and visually impressive title, and anyone interested in the forts and architecture of Judaea/the late Hellenistic World should definitely buy it!

This is a seldom explored topic covering an often ignored period for this region of the Middle East. Other than the Bible, other popular books rarely cover this period. The latter part of this time span is only known for the birth of Christ and events of the New Testament. Actually it is a period where the remnants of the Jewish state struggle to survive and remove Hellenistic domination only to have to contend with other factions in the Middle East, civil wars and finally the Romans. The author provides good background information on Maccabee revolt that leads to the rule of Judea by the Hasmoeans to the takeover by Herod. He concludes with revolt of the Zealots and the major sieges of the Roman generals Vespassian, his son Titus, and Flavius Silva that ended the revolt.

Rocca describes the characteristics -from walls to gates and towers -of both the Hasmonaean and Herodian fortifications and includes good descriptions of several sites including Herodium, Gamla, Jotpata, Masada and Jerusalem. He describes the composition of the military forces from the best sources available and then covers several of the major sieges of the period.

In addition to drawings of several of the fortifications, the book includes a few photos of reconstructions that appear in museums in Jerusalem and the Holyland Hotel. Many of the names may be unfamiliar to the general reader, but the author does attempt to identify them and the sometimes rather confusing tangle of wars. This is one of the titles in the series that cover relatively new ground for most military history buffs and is well worth having.