The Wars of the Jews; Or, The History of the Destruction of JerusalemJosephus, Flavius
Religion
The Wars of the Jews; Or, The History of the Destruction of Jerusalem
Josephus, Flavius
Jews -- History
4. Now when they are to go out of their camp, the trumpet gives a sound,
at which time nobody lies still, but at the first intimation they take
down their tents, and all is made ready for their going out; then do the
trumpets sound again, to order them to get ready for the march; then do
they lay their baggage suddenly upon their mules, and other beasts of
burden, and stand, as at the place of starting, ready to march; when
also they set fire to their camp, and this they do because it will be
easy for them to erect another camp, and that it may not ever be of use
to their enemies. Then do the trumpets give a sound the third time, that
they are to go out, in order to excite those that on any account are
a little tardy, that so no one may be out of his rank when the army
marches. Then does the crier stand at the general's right hand, and asks
them thrice, in their own tongue, whether they be now ready to go out
to war or not? To which they reply as often, with a loud and cheerful
voice, saying, "We are ready." And this they do almost before the
question is asked them: they do this as filled with a kind of martial
fury, and at the same time that they so cry out, they lift up their
right hands also.
5. When, after this, they are gone out of their camp, they all march
without noise, and in a decent manner, and every one keeps his own rank,
as if they were going to war. The footmen are armed with breastplates
and head-pieces, and have swords on each side; but the sword which is
upon their left side is much longer than the other, for that on the
right side is not longer than a span. Those foot-men also that are
chosen out from the rest to be about the general himself have a lance
and a buckler, but the rest of the foot soldiers have a spear and a long
buckler, besides a saw and a basket, a pick-axe and an axe, a thong of
leather and a hook, with provisions for three days, so that a footman
hath no great need of a mule to carry his burdens. The horsemen have
a long sword on their right sides, axed a long pole in their hand; a
shield also lies by them obliquely on one side of their horses, with
three or more darts that are borne in their quiver, having broad
points, and not smaller than spears. They have also head-pieces and
breastplates, in like manner as have all the footmen. And for those that
are chosen to be about the general, their armor no way differs from
that of the horsemen belonging to other troops; and he always leads the
legions forth to whom the lot assigns that employment.
Public-domain text, read in full here on John Shaqi.
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