Thursday, March 29, 2018

Following Josephus in Rome

THE WORLD IS FULL OF HISTORY: Rome, Through the Eyes of Flavius Josephus. Where, but in the Eternal City, is it possible to map a 2,000-year-old eyewitness account of history onto an intact urban fabric? (DAVID LASKIN, New York Times).
Turncoat? Asylum seeker? Pragmatic visionary? Historians have long debated Josephus’s motives and character. What’s indisputable is that most of what is known about the violent encounter between Rome and Judea during this period comes out of his work. What’s astonishing is that, with a sharp eye and a bit of research, you can still walk in Josephus’s footsteps in contemporary Rome. Where but in the Eternal City is it possible to map a 2,000-year-old eyewitness account onto an intact urban fabric?
For many past PaleoJudaica posts on the Arch of Titus, start here (cf. here) and follow the links. Also, a notable link on the Arch and ancient Rome is here (scroll down).

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