From the Taking of Jerusalem by Antiochus Epiphanes to the Death of Herod the Great - Flavius Josephus

main army soon afterward; and as Alexander was not able to sustain the
charge of the enemies' forces, now they were joined, he retired. But when he
was come near to Jerusalem, he was forced to fight, and lost six thousand
men in the battle; three thousand of which fell down dead, and three
thousand were taken alive; so he fled with the remainder to Alexandrium.
4. Now when Gabinius was come to Alexandrium, because he found a
great many there en-camped, he tried, by promising them pardon for their
former offenses, to induce them to come over to him before it came to a
fight; but when they would hearken to no terms of accommodation, he slew a
great number of them, and shut up a great number of them in the citadel.
Now Marcus Antonius, their leader, signalized himself in this battle, who, as
he always showed great courage, so did he never show it so much as now;
but Gabinius, leaving forces to take the citadel, went away himself, and
settled the cities that had not been demolished, and rebuilt those that had
been destroyed. Accordingly, upon his injunctions, the following cities were
restored: Scythopolis, and Samaria, and Anthedon, and Apollonia, and
Jamnia, and Raphia, and Mariassa, and Adoreus, and Gamala, and Ashdod,
and many others; while a great number of men readily ran to each of them,
and became their inhabitants.
5. When Gabinius had taken care of these cities, he returned to
Alexandrium, and pressed on the siege. So when Alexander despaired of
ever obtaining the government, he sent ambassadors to him, and prayed him
to forgive what he had offended him in, and gave up to him the remaining
fortresses, Hyrcanium and Macherus, as he put Alexandrium into his hands
afterwards; all which Gabinius demolished, at the persuasion of Alexander's
mother, that they might not be receptacles of men in a second war. She was
now there in order to mollify Gabinius, out of her concern for her relations
that were captives at Rome, which were her husband and her other children.
After this Gabinius brought Hyrcanus to Jerusalem, and committed the care
of the temple to him; but ordained the other political government to be by an
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