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Book Review of The Kitos War: A Captivating Guide to One of the Jewish?Roman Wars

The Kitos War: A Captivating Guide to One of the Jewish?Roman Wars
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For folks wondering about the difficulties the Jews had with Roman dominance of Judea when Rome seemed to rule the world, this is a quick and interesting overview. Captivating History sets the stage, explaining how Jews navigated the Roman Empire and the Jewish rulers (of Judea) who betrayed their fellow citizens. Revolution erupted after decades of abuse, and this book explains the long and short-term causes of the deadly conflicts.

The desecration and destruction of the Second Jewish Temple in 70 CE was a sobering blow to the Jews and is usually called the First Jewish Rebellion. The effects were so horrible that it took 40+ years for the Kitos War to erupt. Oddly enough, it occurred outside of Judea in 115 or 116 CE. Uprisings began by Jewish rebels in Armenia, Adiabene, Cyrenaica, Cyprus, Parthia, and Egypt. There was a widespread slaughter of Roman garrisons and Roman citizens in these locales.

Because of the scarcity of historical documents, it is impressive that readers can see such a clear cause-and-effect relationship regarding the Kitos War. This book covers the critical military leaders and the rebel leaders that could be documented. Then, the author sets the stage for the third Roman-Jewish conflict, the Bar Kokhba Revolt (132-136 CE). Captivating History offers this story under separate cover.*

* The Bar Kokhba Revolt: A Captivating Guide to the Third Jewish-Roman War and Its Impact on Ancient Rome and Jewish History