Iudaea Novel

This site was created to give curious readers a look at the story Iudaea and all the history and research behind it.   It explores the world of the Rome Empire in the 2nd Century and especially the events surrounding the last major Jewish revolt against the Romans – the Bar Kokhba Revolt of AD 132 – 135.

The story itself follows a Roman cavalry officer who is pulled from his assignment patrolling Hadrian’s Wall in Britannia to the hills of Iudaea where a Jewish rebellion rages.  Ripped from his family, the conflict challenges everything he knows: his friendships, his ideals, the very purpose of his life.

The site will also detail the history of the people and time period from the story with references to texts  and illustrations of the more interesting elements.    From the scant historical accounts of the conflict to the plentiful information on Roman warfare to the geography and habits of the Jewish people of Iudaea, hopefully everyone  will find something of interest.

I have three main goals for this site.  One is to create interest in the story and hopefully make Iudaea a marketable novel.  The second is to share and organize the information that I’ve come across in doing research.  My education was in anthropology and archaeology and I believe learning about the past is valuable but I also believe it can be made interesting.  This leads me to my final purpose which is that I believe that despite all the technological and cultural differences that separate people through time and space, we as human beings have not changed much through history.  Through war and peace, through empires and tribes,  through abundance and scarcity, there are constants – our families, our instinct to survive, our pursuit of a better life for those we care for.  History can not only help us avoid the mistakes of the past but it can also illuminate what makes us truly human and give us a guide for the future.

I hope to update the site frequently, publishing 2 or 3 posts a week.  One post a week will be part of the story.  I have written the entire story but over the next 6 months I will release only 12 or 15 chapters of the book.  I encourage all readers to leave comments and constructive criticism whether about the history or the quality of writing.   If I receive a positive response from this experience I will try to continue keeping the site updated with interesting posts.

Thank you for reading,

Jim Branch