Curator and Preface by : Ofra Rimon

In 66 CE, the Jewish revolt against Roman rule broke out. Four years later, in 70 CE, Jerusalem and the Temple lay in ruins. Three years after that, the Masada stronghold, in which the last of the Jewish insurgents fortified themselves, fell. The revolt was suppressed – the iron hand of the Roman military wrought havoc and destruction among the rebellious Jewish settlements. Thousands of Jews were put to death and thousands more were sold into slavery. 

The Great Revolt against the Romans – the causes of its outbreak, the divisions it created in Jewish society, its doomed struggle against the Roman Empire, the devastation that stood in its wake, and many other of its aspects – constitutes one of the historic events that are permanently etched in the historical memory of the Jewish people and, as such, has accompanied us to this very day. Recently, for example, the Israeli writer Meir Shalev wrote a newspaper article headlined, “Accepted Lies”:

Silver tetradrachm. Struck at Antioch in 70 CE. Rev.: Head of Titus. Greek inscription: of Titus Flavius Vespasian Caesar in the year of the new temple [year 2] (Hecht Museum Collection)".…Judea was not destroyed because of factionalism and Judaism did not survive because of unity. Judea was destroyed because of the military superiority of the Romans,because of the stupidity and extremism of the Zealots and because of the surrender of the leadership to their Messianic violence. Judaism survived thanks to the wisdom, vision, and moderation of personalities like Rabbi Yochanan ben-Zakkai, who succeeded in escaping these murderous patriots, handing himself over to the Romans, exchanging the Temple for the synagogue and the slaughtered lamb for prayer, and equipping us with the means of cultural and spiritual existence for the time in exile.

Two thousand years after the destruction, two thousand years in which Judaism decried the Zealots and tried to put them out of heart and mind, we returned to Jerusalem. The Temple, fortunately, we have not yet built, but we have already acted like fools and called streets in our cities after those contemptible figures, Shimon bar-Giora, Yochanan of Gush Halav, and Elazar ben-Yair. And now we have added even honey-lipped gatherings of mourning and destruction, where they preach unity between those who do not quite understand the nature of these Zealots and those who see them as exemplars."

(Excerpt translated from Yediot Ahronot, Saturday Supplement, July 27, 2007, p. 5.)

The first historians and archaeologists who studied the events of the Great Revolt focused primarily on Jerusalem and Masada, because these sites were considered the most heroic and fateful. The Galilee, where the Romans, under the leadership of Vespasian, began their campaign to suppress the Jewish revolt, gained the attention of researchers only recently.

Silver tetradrachm. Struck at Antioch in 70 CE. Obv.: Head of Vespasian. Greek inscription: Imperator Caesar Vespasian (Hecht Museum Collection)

The present exhibition, “The Great Revolt in the Galilee,” and its accompanying catalogue are the fruit of the research of archaeologists and historians who studied the events of the rebellion in the Galilee by focusing on its Jewish and non-Jewish settlements. The finds from the excavations at Gamla and Yodfat are the focus of the exhibition. At these two sites, archaeologists have uncovered evidence of destruction that aligns with the dramatic descriptions of Joseph ben-Matityahu. 

Archaeological finds from other sites are also presented. They illustrate the material culture of both Jewish and Gentile Galilean settlements of the 1^st century CE. They also indicate the presence of Roman legions, whose mission was to end the rebellion. Furthermore, this exhibit publically displays—for the first time—archaeological material that bears living testimony to the preparations made by the Galilean Jews in advance of the revolt. Among these finds are complete jugs that were discovered in hiding places dug into the floors of private Jewish houses. (See Y. Alexandre’s article on the discoveries at Kfar Kanna in this catalogue). 

Rev.: Seated woman. Alongside her, past a date tree, a Jewish prisoner, his hands tied behind his back. Latin inscription: IVDAEA CAPTA (Captive Judea) (Hecht Museum Collection)

In the year 70, Jerusalem suffered its horrible destruction; the Land of Israel was turned almost entirely into desert, the Temple was set aflame, and tens of thousands of Jews were either killed, thrown to wild animals, or sold into slavery. And yet at this exact location, only 62 years later, the Jews carried out another revolt! Had these rebels not learned anything from what had transpired less than seventy years earlier? In his article "Shimon bar-Kokhba", Joseph Klausner explains his attitude towards what motivated the Jews to revolt:

"How can we explain these frequent rebellions, all of which ended in utter failure and, nevertheless, not one of them prevented the next, which followed so closely in time and place? After all, during all these revolts there were wise men and statesmen from Israel who objected to every rebellion, and to all appearances those who objected were right: they said that the revolt would not succeed – and in truth it did not. For every revolt ended in the bloodshed of tens of thousands from Israel, in being uprooted from the land, in slavery and degradation. So why, despite all this, did rebellions not cease for scores of years?

Coin minted to commemorate the suppression of the Great Revolt and to glorify Vespasian's name. Struck in Rome in 71 CE. Obv.: Image of the victorious Caesar.Certainly, small Judea could have resigned itself to its fate and surrendered to Rome – and remained occupied with Torah. But then the Romans would have laid even a heavier hand on it and oppressed it more and more. An aggressive and abusive nation – in particular, its low-level officials – can sense a weak and submissive nation – and immediately tramples it like clay. Keeping quiet, turning the heart away from the affairs of the State and studying Torah and wisdom – woe is Torah that comes from dejection, alas the wisdom that comes not from expanding knowledge but from the imprisoned spirit in the cage of cruel servitude. Torah – that is the genius and that is the glory of the nation; and where they cease – Torah also ceases. And wisdom that has no vision, no exaltedness, no freedom, it too, is not worth very much."

(Joseph Klausner, When a Nation Fights for Freedom, Historical Essays, Tel Aviv, 1945, pp. 153-189. [Hebrew]) 

Our thanks to all the historians and archaeologists who contributed from the results of their studies to this exhibition and its catalogue; to the exhibition’s scientific advisers, Prof. Uriel Rappaport, Dr. Jack Pastor, Dr. Danny Syon, and Dr. Mordechai Aviam. Our appreciation to staff members of the Israel Antiquities Authority: Dr. Hava Katz, Dr. Orit Shamir, Michael Saban, Pnina Shor, Adi Ziv-Sodri, Alegre Sabriago, Dr. Donald Ariel, Gabriela Bijovsky. We also extend our appreciation to the Katzrin Museum, The "Old Courtyard" Museum in Ein Shemer, to the Department of Museums of the Ministry of Science, Culture, and Sport, and not least to the management of the Hecht Foundation. 

A view of the exhibitionVespian, marble head. (Hecht Museum Collection)

Another view of the exhibition The army of Vespian numbered about 60,000 soldiers