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[420]
About this time it was that Antony continued some time at Athens,
and that Ventidius, who was now in Syria, sent for Silo, and commanded
him to assist Herod, in the first place, to finish the present war, and
then to send for their confederates for the war they were themselves engaged
in; but as for Herod, he went in haste against the robbers that were in
the caves, and sent Silo away to Ventidius, while he marched against them.
These caves were in mountains that were exceeding abrupt, and in their
middle were no other than precipices, with certain entrances into the caves,
and those caves were encompassed with sharp rocks, and in these did the
robbers lie concealed, with all their families about them; but the king
caused certain chests to be made, in order to destroy them, and to be hung
down, bound about with iron chains, by an engine, from the top of the mountain,
it being not possible to get up to them, by reason of the sharp ascent
of the mountains, nor to creep down to them from above. Now these chests
were filled with armed men, who had long hooks in their hands, by which
they might pull out such as resisted them, and then tumble them down, and
kill them by so doing; but the letting the chests down proved to be a matter
of great danger, because of the vast depth they were to be let down, although
they had their provisions in the chests themselves. But when the chests
were let down, and not one of those in the mouths of the caves durst come
near them, but lay still out of fear, some of the armed men girt on their
armor, and by both their hands took hold of the chain by which the chests
were let down, and went into the mouths of the caves, because they fretted
that such delay was made by the robbers not daring to come out of the caves;
and when they were at any of those mouths, they first killed many of those
that were in the mouths with their darts, and afterwards pulled those to
them that resisted them with their hooks, and tumbled them down the precipices,
and afterwards went into the caves, and killed many more, and then went
into their chests again, and lay still there; but, upon this, terror seized
the rest, when they heard the lamentations that were made, and they despaired
of escaping. However, when the night came on, that put an end to the whole
work; and as the king proclaimed pardon by a herald to such as delivered
themselves up to him, many accepted of the offer. The same method of assault
was made use of the next day; and they went further, and got out in baskets
to fight them, and fought them at their doors, and sent fire among them,
and set their caves on fire, for there was a great deal of combustible
matter within them. Now there was one old man who was caught within one
of these caves, with seven children and a wife; these prayed him to give
them leave to go out, and yield themselves up to the enemy; but he stood
at the cave's mouth, and always slew that child of his who went out, till
he had destroyed them every one, and after that he slew his wife, and cast
their dead bodies down the precipice, and himself after them, and so underwent
death rather than slavery: but before he did this, he greatly reproached
Herod with the meanness of his family, although he was then king. Herod
also saw what he was doing, and stretched out his hand, and offered him
all manner of security for his life; by which means all these caves were
at length subdued entirely.
Flavius Josephus. The Works of Flavius Josephus. Translated by. William Whiston, A.M. Auburn and Buffalo. John E. Beardsley. 1895.
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References (4 total)
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(4):
- LSJ, ἅρπη
- LSJ, ἐκ-ρήγνυ_μι
- LSJ, ἐπικατα-βάλλω
- LSJ, πῆγμα
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