I was extremely impressed by this book - and the huge effort the author has clearly gone to to write and research it. It tells the story of Simon Bar Kokhba -the legendary figure in Jewish history who led the Second Jewish rebellion against the Roman Empire in 132- 136 CE. With such figures it’s always difficult to separate myth from reality but here the author does a great job.. the book is well researched, and grounded in established facts.
Excellent.

An exploration into the personalities and afterlife of the Second Jewish War, or the bar Kokhba rebellion, of 132-135.

The author explores the history in terms of a travelogue: both his own in visiting various sites and speaking with various authorities on Hadrian, bar Kokhba, and others, and in terms of the historical account. He frames the history well by describing Hadrian and his travels in great detail. He explains what can be known about Simon bar Kosiba (bar Kokhba) from a few short discussions in some Roman historians, a few memories perhaps recorded in the Talmud, and from the recently discovered letters in caves above the Dead Sea, many of which he likely wrote.

It's hard not to be struck by the relative paucity of what can be said about the story; this is not the author's fault, of course, but a consequence of what has been handed down regarding the Second Jewish War. Jewish Christians condemned bar Kohkba because he persecuted them; thus we do not have Christians handing down stories about it the way that Josephus' testimony about the First Jewish War was preserved. The rabbis after Akiba denounced the way of rebellion and went a very different direction afterward; they would therefore have little reason to preserve much about the story of bar Kokhba's rebellion. The Romans were successful in prosecuting their war, but at great cost, and perhaps even with much embarrassment, considering they had just fought a war in the same place 60 years earlier; we can understand why there would not be a lot of detail preserved from them about this rebellion.

The author does well at tracing the afterlife of bar Kokhba, especially his rehabilitation as the strong, muscular, Jewish male and freedom fighter for Israel in the 19th and 20th centuries, and the mythological lore that now surrounds him in the state of Israel.

A good read if one is interested in the history and afterlife of bar Kokhba.

Thank you Pen and Sword for the ARC to read and review.

What a thoroughly researched account of the life of one of Israel's most revered rebels. My love for the Roman era history of the land of Israel prompted me to request this book and I wasn't disappointed.

Bar Kokhba is a legendary figure in Jewish history. Famed for singlehandedly leading the Second Jewish rebellion against the Roman Empire in 132 through 136 A.D. against the Emperor Hadrian. Though ultimately the great rebellion failed, resulting in death, exile, or slavery for much of the population of Judea, and the Roman renaming of Jerusalem and Israel in an attempt to rewrite the Jews out of history, it is still famed as a blow against tyranny, a Great War for Independence against a foreign despot. Powell, a historian fascinated by details of Roman history, sets out the historical record based on texts and archeological evidence. Powell even traveled to Israel and viewed the archeological sites for himself including the caves at Ein Gedi and the site of the final battle, seeing firsthand where things took place. It is a history book, rich with detail, not a light book to read on a Sunday in the park, but nevertheless a worthwhile read that strives above all for historical accuracy.