In this episode, we return to the sweltering heat of August, 70 CE, where the Siege of Jerusalem has reached a gruesome stalemate. We take a deep dive into the survival story of the defector-turned-historian Josephus, flashing back to his “miraculous” (and highly suspicious) escape from the Siege of Jotapata three years prior. From the ingenious use of raw ox-hides and boiled oil to the dark “suicide by proxy” pact in a hidden cavern, we explore how Josephus managed to talk his way out of a death sentence and into the good graces of the future Emperors Vespasian and Titus. Finally, we examine one of the most bizarre and macabre chapters of the war: the “walking gold mines” of Jerusalem, where desperate refugees swallowed their life savings only to be met with the knives of greedy auxiliary troops. It’s a tale of high-stakes engineering, ancient “fan fiction,” and why you should never swallow 24-karat gold on an empty stomach. Oh and… Yoda.
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