Vespasian Marches into Galilee

Vespasian, with his son Titus, stayed for a time at Ptolemais putting his forces in order. Meanwhile Placidus was overrunning Galilee. He had killed a great many of those he caught, but these were the weaker Galileans, those who gave out as they fled. Seeing that the fighting men always took refuge in the cities Josephus had walled, he set off against Jotapata, the strongest of them all. He thought he would take it easily at the first assault, and so win great glory for himself among the commanders and give them an advantage for the rest of the campaign, since the other cities would surrender out of fear once the strongest was taken. But he was badly mistaken in his hope. The people of Jotapata learned of his approach in advance and waited for him in front of the city. They fell on the Romans unexpectedly, many in number, ready for battle, and full of spirit, as men fighting for their endangered country, their wives and their children, and they quickly put them to flight. They wounded many of the Romans but killed only seven, because the Romans did not retreat in disorder, their blows only grazed men whose bodies were armored all over, and the Jews, lightly armed against heavy infantry, preferred to throw from a distance rather than dare to close with them. Three of the Jews fell and a few were wounded. So Placidus, finding himself too weak to assault the city, fled. [a]

Vespasian, eager to invade Galilee himself, marched out of Ptolemais, having arranged his army to march in the usual Roman order. He ordered the light-armed auxiliaries and the archers to go in front, to check any sudden raids by the enemy and to search woods that looked suspicious and could hide an ambush. They were followed by a body of heavy-armed Romans, foot and horse. After these came ten men from every century, carrying their own gear and the instruments for measuring out the camp. Next came the road-makers, to straighten the bends in the highway, level the rough places and cut away obstructing woods ahead of time, so that the army would not be worn out by hard going. Behind them he placed his own baggage and that of the commanders under him, with a strong body of horsemen to guard it. After these he rode himself, with the picked infantry and cavalry and the lancers. Then came the cavalry belonging to the legion itself, for each legion has its own hundred and twenty horsemen. Next came the mules carrying the siege engines and the other machines. After them came the legates and the prefects of the cohorts, with the tribunes, each with picked soldiers around them. Then came the standards surrounding the eagle, which leads every Roman legion. The eagle is the king of all birds and the strongest, and to the Romans it is a sign of their empire and an omen that they will conquer whomever they march against. The trumpeters followed these sacred objects, and behind them came the main column, spread six men across. A centurion went with them, as was customary, to watch over the ranks. All the servants of each legion followed the infantry, leading the soldiers’ baggage on mules and other pack animals. Behind all the legions came the crowd of mercenaries, and last of all, for safety, a rearguard of foot soldiers, men in heavy armor, and a large number of horsemen. [c]

Marching in this way, Vespasian came with his army to the borders of Galilee. There he pitched camp and held back his soldiers, who were eager for battle. He displayed his army to strike terror into the enemy and to give them time to repent, in case they would change their minds before a battle; at the same time he prepared to besiege their strongholds. The sight of the general did indeed bring many to repent of their revolt, and it struck terror into all. Josephus’s men were encamped near a city called Garis, not far from Sepphoris. When they heard that the war was coming close and that the Romans would soon be upon them, they scattered in flight, not only before any battle but before they had even seen the enemy. Josephus was left with a few men. He saw that he had no force fit to meet the enemy, that the spirit of the Jews had sunk, and that most of them would gladly come to terms if they could be trusted. He was already afraid for the outcome of the whole war, and for the present he decided to put as much distance between himself and danger as he could. So he took those who had stayed with him and fled to Tiberias. [e]