The Roman Army, 31 BC–AD 337: A Sourcebook

96 The Roman Army
being able to strike back against their enemies. (Section 544) For the
entire journey men were being hit, or dislodged from the ranks, and
falling to the ground. After many had been killed, including Priscus,
commander of the sixth legion, Longinus, a tribune, and a prefect of
an ala called Aemilius Jucundus, with great difficulty the army reached
Gabao, the site of their earlier camp, after abandoning much of their
baggage… (Cestius decides to continue the retreat). (Section 546) To
speed up the retreat, he ordered the disposal of everything that hampered
the army. They therefore killed the mules and asses and all the draught
animals except for those which carried missiles and artillery pieces,
which they kept because they needed them and also because they were
afraid that the Jews might capture them and use them against
themselves. Cestius then led the army on towards Beth-horon. (Section
547) The Jews made fewer attacks on the open ground, but when the
Romans were packed together in the narrow defile of the descending
roadway, some of the Jews got in front and prevented them from
emerging, while others drove the rearguard down into the ravine, and
the main body positioned above the narrowest part of the road pelted
the column with missiles. (Section 548) In this position, even the infantry
had great difficulty in defending themselves, and the cavalry’s situation
was even more dangerous and precarious, since under the bombardment
of missiles they could not advance in order down the road, and it was
impossible for horses to charge the enemy up the steep slope. (Section
549) On both sides there were cliffs and ravines down which they fell
to their death. Since no one could discover a means of escape or of selfdefence,
they were reduced in their helplessness to lamentation and
groans of despair, to which the Jews responded with war-cries and
yells of intermingled delight and rage. (Section 550) Indeed Cestius
and his entire army would almost certainly have been overwhelmed if
night had not fallen, during which the Romans were able to escape to
Beth-horon, while the Jews encircled them and watched for them to
come out.
(Section 551) Cestius now gave up hope of continuing the march
openly and planned to run away. Having selected about four hundred
of his most courageous soldiers, he stationed them on the roofs of
houses with orders to shout out the watchwords of the camp sentries
so that the Jews would think that the entire army was still there. He
himself with the rest of the army advanced silently for three and a half
miles. (Section 552) At dawn when the Jews saw that the Romans’
quarters were deserted, they charged the four hundred men who had
deceived them, quickly killed them with their javelins, and then went
after Cestius. (Section 553) He had got a considerable start on them