Masada (70-73 CE)

[@SilverSquirrel]

Fascinating stuff. I'd always assumed Josephus was well known mostly because his text was fortunate enough to have survived, rather like Pliny the Younger. I had no idea that he was such a central part of the action.

[@CivilWarWeekByWeek]

Such an interesting story with many parrels to the Warsaw Ghetto uprising. I’m glad your going into depth over these things.

[@umleroi]

I was fortunate to visit Masada on early September, having watched this video several months before. It was incredible to see the siege ramp and Roman encampments still intact.

[@barakdan1858]

Regarding why John of giscala was spared, one version I heard but sadly can't remember where goes like this, the Romans had begrudging respect for Bar Giora, they killed him because he was the closest thing the Jews had to a leader, and that was the big finale of triumphs, knowing he was going to die anyway he asked that they not kill John of giscala, so that they wouldn't share the same fate, not because he wanted to spare John, but because he blamed him for the failure of the rebellion, (which, all things considered, is a very legitimate grudge IMO), and them dying together as if they were allies would have sucked for Simon 🤷‍♂️, which I kinda get

[@Atomhaz]

I like this explanation. I hope it’s true because it does sound like a very realistic request and seemingly a thing Flavius would allow.

[@michaelfisher7170]

So, Josephus created a fictional climax to the battle to curry favor with his people for his collaboration with Titus and Vespasian. What is amazing is that his narrative is accepted so widely as historical fact. Well done, Josephus.

[@YaaqovShenkin]

Will you split diaspora histories into different regions/peoples and stories? Or just general analysis? There are some really fascinating individuals, much later down I'd love to see whole videos on people like the Arizal or a video on Tosfot, or would you just look at the cultures that spawned these people?

[@SamAronow]

It's an evolving process. I won't say more because I don't want to create expectations.

[@YaaqovShenkin]

@@SamAronow fair enough mate, looking forward

[@SamAronow]

I'd say overall that it'll be a mixture; giving overviews of certain places and time periods while also focusing in on specific figures therein.

[@hazelissimo]

I hope that the longer these videos are on KZbin the more traction they gain, it's so obvious how much love you put into these and I can't wait for more people to start talking about them!

[@minkyone]

It's quite interesting that in Italian, the word "sicario" (plural: sicari) referres to appointed assassins which slaughter their victims.

[@eswissa1]

Just a theory, but considering the Roman presence in the region, maybe the words are related. Maybe the Latin fed Old Hebrew with that word.

[@minkyone]

@@eswissa1 Agree

[@IlleScrutator]

@@eswissa1 Like Sam said in the video, their name comes from their usage of the sica, a dagger originating from the proto-balkan peoples and adopted by Rome; it was a very stealthy weapon that became very popular with general bandits and murderers, who were contemporaneously called "sicarii" (singular "sicarius").

[@helenamaud4488]

I love your channel! I hope you'll keep producing more content

[@JerusalemIfi4getU]

Masada will not fall again

[@tonylast9181]

Ha ha, that's because it's no longer a fortress

[@arawn1061]

@@tonylast9181 Way to game the system

[@bolerobolero5668]

@@tonylast9181 I thought it is controlled now by IDF, and is their base of sorts?

[@Richard_is_cool]

2:58 now I see where u got the graphics from

[@j.ishirofinney1517]

Fascinating stuff. Good work, sir.

[@enemymine1335]

Most people see the like of Josephus as traitor but they are just intelligent and visionary who understand the futility of rebellion..They are the kind of people who understands most people can’t undrestand.

[@BONK_2000]

Tbh they could have won if it wasn't for the factional infighting.He was given a situation where eveyone was working against him, so he realised there was no point in fighting and dieing if the people who were supposed to be his allies had no foresight and would betray each other instead of working against the larger threat of Rome.

[@bennruda11]

As a levite i wish we had more levite trumpets

[@luke3807]

In Jewish Wars, Josephus describes a large community of Sicarii in Alexandria Egypt. They rioted against Roman rule and many were slaughtered. They assassinated jews they deemed traitors. They were obviously political/religious extremists. All we know from Josephus is they revolted against Roman oppression. Your description of them doesn't jive with Josephus.

[@creativewriter3887]

but remember, Josephus was the Flavius family's "historian"... he had to make THEM the heroes of the stories, so they had to present the Jews as the persistence threat to the Romans and to make the Roman defeat more exhaustive than it was. Remember, he's alive because of Vespasian and Titus., so he did have an agenda and an obligation as it were to that family. Jews didn't preserve Josephus' works--- religious Jews regarded/regard him as a traitor and turn-coat. However, despite Josephus' often flowery speeches and exaggerated numbers he was the BEST "historian" in his intricate and exhaustive detail of Jerusalem as well as the geography of Israel at that time. The account of Masada was received by third hand info--- remember Josephus wasn't there. So he could include what thought happened there without betraying either his people or the family to put him up in his nice lifestyle throughout his life.

[@Kimism-Jiangism]

3:33 Acutally the minhag remains untill now, because the golus remains untill now. Any Yid who would wish to preserve his/her Yiddishe Ehrlichkeit, would certainly never endeavor to walk under it.

[@junaid1]

When I walked near it I had the urge to pee. Fortunately, no ne was around so I pissed on the Arch of Titus.

[@kiril-jiwoo]

12:47 that partition of times of jewish history really baffles me. may Sam or any viewer point me towards an explanation regarding the reason to which jewish history was divided in such a manner?

[@andrewsuryali8540]

That's how Josephus wrote his Antiquities. It was a series of books written over a period of several years, divided according to chronological order in accordance with the Greco-Roman style of chronicle-writing.

[@kiril-jiwoo]

@@andrewsuryali8540 thank you!! 🙂️

[@crywlf9103]

“Their apparent founder, *LOUD PEPSI AD* … I knew it

[@jonyprepperisrael60]

Well,I know what next episode gonna be

[@TroglodyteDiner]

Domitian was a paranoid tyrant and like Caligula and Nero was ultimately assassinated by the Praetorians. He was replaced by a wise old senator, Nerva, who, taking advice from Plato, ushered in succession by adoption of the most able successor. The period of the Five Great Emperors in the 2nd century, was when Rome achieved, as Gibbon put it, "the meridian of her splendor." It came to an end when Philosopher Emperor Marcus Aurelius named his own deranged biological son, Commodus, as his successor, beginning about the series of events leading to the Crisis of the 3rd Century.

[@luckybarbieri8533]

I caught the Zelda music in the background during the triumph lol nice touch! Great videos btw!

[@Kaspar502]

Yo the Music of the Triumph really slaps, do you know where I can find it? :x

[@philpeer7407]

You're not gonna believe this, but..... the Majora's Mask Deku Palace theme.

[@Kaspar502]

@@philpeer7407 nice

[@MrHanderson91]

Do you think the sicca and seax (the knife saxons got their name from) have a common origin?

[@SamAronow]

Both have PIE origins, but "seax" comes from "sek" (to cut), whereas "sica" comes from the proto-Albanian "tzika," which coms from the PIE "key" (to sharpen).

[@shacharraz9129]

Kitos war is next?

[@ceramicsaction]

If the original menorah could be found that would be awesome.

[@davidschalit907]

Possibly inside the Vatican. Not impossible.

[@charananekibalijaun8837]

Interesting video, but why use a the picture of a khukri?

[@luke3807]

Historian Ben-Sasson says the Sicarii originated in Galilee.

[@MetatronsRevenge613]

11:50 RBG talked about this alot

[@trevor1667]

Another one!

[@tonylast9181]

I'm wondering where you got 3 years from? It only took the tenth legion 6 months to take Masada.

[@SamAronow]

Three years was the total length of operations after the fall of Jerusalem, including the campaign against Judah Ben-Ari.

[@MetatronsRevenge613]

3:20 the British learned well from their Roman overlords

[@ravendreaming3966]

Man I don’t know how to feel about half of that

[@flare0114]

4:15 What is that Domitian?! Lol

[@DOGFACESOLDIER0708]

My grand uncle fought in that war

[@pbj4184]

Lmao

[@gilgameschvonuruk4982]

Now I understand the joke from life of Brian.

[@Meirstein]

People called Romans they go the house?

[@gilgameschvonuruk4982]

@@Meirstein no, the one with the suicide command

[@Meirstein]

@@gilgameschvonuruk4982 The Judean People's Front crack suicide division

[@adamstewart8712]

…

[@dwightschrute900]

…

[@esprit-critique]

Excellent video! I learned a lot of new facts explaining the reasons for this war. After watching the previous videos and this one, what strikes me is the neutral tone with which the facts are exposed. It testifies to a true historian's attitude that strives to be as objective as possible, to give all the reasons and relevant facts of a conflict, and especially to avoid being preachy. Such an attitude is particularly difficult (and meritorious) when recounting terrible and always moving events even after 2000 years! The Jewish revolt against the Romans was certainly justified for many reasons. The Roman administration of the occupied territories was often very heavy with reprisals that created a lot of resentment. But the Jewish revolt took on a delusional, unrealistic character in the face of Roman power. It would have been less murderous for the Jews if their view of the situation had been more reasonable and if they had been less intransigent. And one can think that the sectarian nature of Judaism prompted them to refuse any compromise. Throughout history, the Jews suffered enormously because of that. I think they would have suffered less (I mean like any other people) with another religion (or belief system) that would have made them less stubborn. One can hardly avoid thinking that Judaism has contributed to their misfortunes.

[@oldowl4290]

Being a non-religious person I have to often remind myself not to lump everyone classified as "x-y-z" as being religious. Surely in modern times at least, there are people we call christians, jews, muslims, etc that are completely agnostic or atheist. And while, yes, we can assume most, if not all people, were very religious back then, the Jews in particular were / are considered as an actual race of people and not just a religious group. So somewhat similarly, I could be called/ labeled a Christian simply because I'm a white American just as most brown skinned Arabs are automatically labeled as Muslim but that's not our actual race. My point here is that whenever you, your family, tribe, city, etc, feel like you're being invaded by some outside group, I have to assume that the religious aspects, connotations, and labels for the struggle are only one part of the equation possibly even a smaller part. In short, you just want people who are not of your own race and or aggressors of any kind to stay out of your lands.

[@esprit-critique]

@@oldowl4290Thank you for your comment which prompted me to amend and clarify mine. I agree with your conclusion "In short...." It is natural for a group to seek to maintain and thus protect its cultural homogeneity necessary for the harmony of social relations. But I find it questionable to state that "the Jews in particular were/are considered as an actual race of people". But, is it true? I contend that Judaism is not a race and has never been a race. It is a belief system that creates a specific but artificial identity. A Jew is one who practices Judaism, that is to say, who assumes the artificial identity (taboos, prohibitions, obligations) created by this belief system. The distinction is important because it helps to understand the political tensions in Israel between Jews and non-Jews (who can be called Israelis). The problem is that Orthodox and ultra-Orthodox Jews think that the territory named Israel is or must be a Jewish state, that is, its identity must be the one circumscribed by the Torah. In other words, the Torah must be the fundamental law of the land. But non-Jews or Israelis (atheists, agnostics) don't want that and they try to create a modern identity, a new identity that is no longer defined by the Torah.

[@oldowl4290]

@@esprit-critique Ok, my question to you then is if you can say Asians are a race, Arabs and Persians are a race, Egyptians are a race, American Indians are a race, the west or east Indians are a race, Russians or Slavs are a race, Africans or "blacks" are a race, Mexicans and central Americans are a race, the aboriginals of Australia are a race, etc, etc..then how can you say that the Jews / Israelites are somehow not a race. Surely Hitler felt otherwise. He set out to kill Jews..the race of people, not necessarily Judaism, their religion. And I'm pretty positive most all Jews do consider themselves as their own race. Just because their people are also anchored in their own religion (like many other cultures are too) and or that they could be considered to have evolved from that, I do think most people typically consider people of Israel / Jews to have their own race. And isn't that kind of how and why Israel came to have it's own country post WWII anyway. And if they are not a race of people.. then just who are they? I can't easily classify Jewish people as Arabs nor Persians nor Turks even though they all evolved together in the same area. And they do have their own language too. So yeah, I consider them as a race.

[@esprit-critique]

@@oldowl4290 1. You write : « IF YOU CAN SAY Asians are a race, Arabs and Persians are a race, Egyptians are a race, American Indians are a race, ….THEN HOW CAN YOU SAY that the Jews / Israelites are somehow not a race » The answer is simple: NO, WE CAN NOT SAY that «Asians are a race, Arabs and Persians are a race....»!!! Your reasoning is strange because no one would be inclined to say today that the Arabs, the Persians, Egyptians or French .. are races. THEY ARE PEOPLES! There is definitely a problem with vocabulary and definitions here. Races, peoples, ethnicities, cultural identities, physical identities, human types, and so on must be carefully distinguished because they refer to specific realities and divisions. I invite you to clear the ground by checking the definitions given by the dictionaries. I randomly chose the Webster-Merriam www.merriam-webster.com/dictionary/race Generally, when we talk about race, we focus on physical characteristics that are general enough to include most humans. Traditionally, three major races have been distinguished - the black race, the yellow, and the white. The color of the skin is the main criterion, but there are others: the type of hair, the shape of the eyes, the thickness of the lips, etc. And Webster's dictionary proves me right. You can read : "Sense 1a of this entry describes the word race as it is most frequently used: to refer to the various groups that humans are often divided into based on physical traits, these traits being regarded as common among people of a shared ancestry." 2. You write : « Surely Hitler felt otherwise. He set out to kill Jews..the race of people, not necessarily Judaism, their religion. Yes Hitler felt and many nazis felt that Jews were a race. But they were wrong, terribly wrong. This fundamental mistake was denounced by many German jurists. For them, there was nothing genetic about Judaism. No need to look for ancestors or take blood into account. It was clear to them that Judaism is a normative system based on beliefs. Only Germans practicing Judaism were to be considered Jews! And they resisted legislative changes incriminating Germans coming from Jewish families or having Jewish ancestry but not practicing Judaism. They were to be legally considered full-fledged Germans, like all other Germans. The saddest thing is that Hitler's mistake is nowadays that of Orthodox Jews who are looking for the genes of Jewishness!

[@oldowl4290]

@@esprit-critique TLDR. I honestly don't care either way. Take your essays elsewhere.

[@avishaybm6222]

רק עכשיו נפל לי האסימון מי זה יוחנן מגוש חלב

[@multanprarie2600]

I come from a Muslim background. Generally speaking, traditionally and historically, Muslims, on most occasions, have always felt an affinity with the Jews/yahood because we recognize the fact that they are the children of our master Ishaq (Isaac) alayhissalam by blood. Based on this background, listening to so much suffering in these video series that this community faced in the most holy of lands [Jerusalem and Palestine/Israel], these events just break my heart. I wish the Jews would have triumphed and ruled Rome itself in their age and day because they represented G-d and took G-d's name as Holy. Anyone, who even whispers the name of the One True G-d, is honestly a saint these days considering all other oblivious people. Muslims suffered too throughout history to this day.

[@Илан-ю7г]

Thank you brother

[@davidschalit907]

"Suffererd"?! 🤦

[@oldowl4290]

Just imagine how much less bloodshed there would have been if religion and god, under any name, was taken out of the equation. Take all the time you need.

[@richbandicoot]

where is the ark of the covenant at this time ?

[@danielpincus221]

Am I missing something? There are several years between the the story in the previous video and this one.

[@brenosantana1458]

.

[@amazingbibleantiquities7221]

Malign Josephus and impugn his witness, NOT good. 🤔

[@davidschalit907]

He is considered a traitor by most if not all religious Jews.

[@BrotherCarl]

Utter nonsense

[@Judean_Zionist]

How is it nonsense?