Cassius Dio's figures for the demographic consequences of the Bar Kokhba War: Exaggeration or reliable account?

Dvir Raviv, Chaim Ben David

Research output: Contribution to journalArticlepeer-review

2 Scopus citations

Abstract

Scholars have long doubted the historical accuracy of Cassius Dio's account of the consequences of the Bar Kokhba War (Roman History 69.14). According to this text, considered the most reliable literary source for the Second Jewish Revolt, the war encompassed all of Judea: the Romans destroyed 985 villages and 50 fortresses, and killed 580,000 rebels. This article reassesses Cassius Dio's figures by drawing on new evidence from excavations and surveys in Judea, Transjordan, and the Galilee. Three research methods are combined: an ethno-archaeological comparison with the settlement picture in the Ottoman Period, comparison with similar settlement studies in the Galilee, and an evaluation of settled sites from the Middle Roman Period (70-136 CE). The study demonstrates the potential contribution of the archaeological record to this issue and supports the view of Cassius Dio's demographic data as a reliable account, which he based on contemporaneous documentation.

Original languageEnglish
Pages (from-to)585-607
Number of pages23
JournalJournal of Roman Archaeology
Volume34
Issue number2
DOIs
StatePublished - 1 Dec 2021

Bibliographical note

Publisher Copyright:
© 2021 The Author(s). Published by Cambridge University Press.

Keywords

  • Bar Kokhba War
  • Cassius Dio
  • Land of Judea
  • Provincia Judea
  • Roman Palestine
  • Second Jewish Revolt

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