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Masada, a Hebrew word meaning fortress.

Thousands of people from throughout the world...

...daily tour the giant cisterns,

the ruins of the vast store-rooms,

the synagogue,

and the premises of this once impregnable city dome.

Everyone marvels at the brilliant engineering skills...

and immense labors that produced this unique fortification.

With almost unlimited provisions and water...

an army could survive up here for years,

and most important, there was the security of knowing...

...that a handful of people could hold the approach...

...against thousands.

The Israeli army has brought young trainees here today,

and according to tradition, they will be sworn in...

...at the summit of Masada,

reaching back nearly 2,000 years for the inspirational heritage...

...that has made the Israeli soldier of today...

...the most daring and defiant defender of freedom in the world.

Part of their ceremony here...

...will be the recounting of that moment in History...

...which still echoes resoundingly today:

the stand of 960 Hebrew man, women and children...

...against the 5,000 men of the Roman Tenth Legion.

A young Israeli soldier up here has to think back...

...on how it all began.

He knows that along with so much of the world,

the Roman Empire had also conquered Palestine...

...in the first century B.C.

And he knows that finally,

the Jews had rebelled against the Roman oppression.

The soldier has been taught since childhood...

...that it took four years,

the full military might of Rome...

...and 600,000 Jewish dead before Jerusalem would fall...

...and the Romans could claim the rebellion was at an end.

But he knows, too, that for the incredible events...

...that took place on this mountain,

that was only a beginning.

Dear God.

They've broken through. They're at the Temple.

It won't be easy, but if you keep to the backstreets...

...we'll try to meet where we planned.

Now, now, go.

- Our turn. - We're ready.

Go.

Two years...

Two years of starvation...

... killing...

...and this is how it ends.

We're out of it, now.

Eleazar!

Here!

Thank God you're safe.

We can't stay here, the Romans are all over the hills.

I know. We'll try to reach Masada as soon as the others--

There are no others!

-My brother? -On a cross, outside the Jaffa Gate.

His wife and daughters?

There's no need to wait, don't ask me anymore!

-Simon bar Giora? -Captured...

...he and John of Gischala.

My cousin?

I'm sorry.

It's finished!

No.

No, it's not finished.

Three years later...

...the men of the Roman Tenth Legion...

...their spirits nearly broken by the long and tiring years of service...

...far from home, still occupy Palestine.

But Eleazar ben Yair and his followers,

headquartered now in Masada,

begin to make their presence known in the southern countryside,

acting Eleazar's vow that the Judean war is not yet over.

Scream.

Great and mystical Father! Don't stop, soldier, don't stop!

These, thy first fruits,

-by right-- -What do you think you're doing?

We need barley, millet, grain for the cattle.

The God is just like you and me,

he wants to be paid.

All first fruits belong to the God.

Corporal, you can be empailed for doing this!

Whose God? The Jews God?

The only God. The God Moloch.

And you were going to sacrifize your son?

All the Jews we've killed, and this gets left alive?

Not for long.

Nothing to worry about, little man.

Nobody worships Moloch anymore, soldier.

Here it is.

They've all left Jericho at once.

They're probably all carrying the same message.

Looks like we caught him on payday.

Well done.

You're thinking that soldier was trying to help you.

It's war, tell him.

He knows.

"The following, to be read out to all units of the Tenth Legion,"

"currently on occupation duty."

"Officers and men of the Tenth, salutations."

"Upon receipt of this directive,"

"the collection of the Imperial Tax..."

"...will commence in an orderly fashion..."

"...throughout the Province of Palestine."

"The merchants of Damascus..."

"...have agreed to exchange gold coin of the realm..."

"...for fair barter of ground grain,"

"base metals, leather goods, etc."

"At the completion of the barter..."

"...the men of the Tenth will expedite the payment..."

"...of the aforementioned gold coin..."

"...under the direction of the Centurions."

All units? More than a hundred.

"Imperial Tax"... Imperial plunder.

Tekoa, Ein Gedi, Hebron, Bethlehem...

...they're all the same.

Tekoa's closer.

Hebron is bigger.

Does it say anything else?

"To conclude, on a personal note,

"as I make ready to depart for Rome,"

"I'm bound to say that this command..."

"...arduous it may have been...

"...will always live in my memory as the high-point of my career."

"The men of the Tenth Legion may be justly proud..."

"...of their long and distinguished..."

He's not going to pull us out. "...service to Palestine..."

"...and may assure themselves..."

"...that I will personally bend every effort..."

"...to assure them the awards of the highest military honors."

"Affectionately signed and by order of..."

"...Cornelius Flavius Silva, General Commanding."

Remember these battle machines?

No.

Final assault on Jerusalem.

They should be dismantled.

-Why? -Might cheer up the men.

-Haven't they heard the directive? -Yes, just before you came.

Good afternoon.

Good afternoon, Domine.

-What's your name? -Lentius, sir.

What town?

Town, sir?

I-I've been here at-- Jericho for--

At home, where were you born?

Tarentum, sir. It's on the cost.

Family?

Half-wit! What's the matter with you?

-She's dead. -Who's dead?

Silva! When are we going home?

Stand out, the man who said that!

-I will now count--! -Tribune!

My wife... that's who's dead.

Centurion! Dismiss the ranks!

Ranks dismissed!

Call my secretary.

You will notice I haven't promised you anything.

There's nothing to promise.

I will recommend that they make your command here permanent...

...although, why you would want it.

I want what Rome wants.

Quadratus, what Rome wants now is money.

-Yes, sir. -Well...

...there's money to be found here, all right.

But we must give them the chance to let the crops grow,

and that means keeping the peace. Can you do it?

With 5,000 homesick policeman?

You did.

So far.

As for this...

...this bathtub is older than I am!

It's been hauled over half the world,

it's like part of my armor and I'm as sick of it...

...as I am of my armor. It's yours.

Thank you, sir.

Good. A copy of this note for the Emperor,

and one for the Senate.

To Vespasian, Emperor of Rome, Pontifex Maximus, etc.,

and to the Consuls and Senators, etc., salutations--

Halt! Stop him!

Grab him!

Grab him, you fool! Hurry up!

-Were you asleep on your feet? -He came out of nowhere!

Hold him! Hold him, man!

-I'll get the surgeon. -Not yet!

It begins just like this.

One man.

If he draws blood, he can take the regiment with him.

Look through the flaps, but make sure you're not seen.

Yes, they're watching.

Gentlemen!

There is either a mutiny or there isn't!

If there is,

and you see fit to kill me and my officers here,

you'd better have a candidate for emperor ready,

as well as a support to the rest of the Legion in Palestine.

You'd better be ready to march on Rome...

...and take the chair away from Vespasian...

...just the way he took it from Vitellius.

You'd be fools, of course.

Vespasian is the first decent man in the job...

...for the last hundred years.

Most of you served under him,

and all of you have sworn allegiance.

The penalty if you didn't succeed...

...would be crucifixion.

Plus loss of back pay.

You, stupid bastards.

It's almost over!

If I can't take you home, who can?!

I take it, then, there's no mutiny.

In that case, we have to deal with an isolated incident.

Private soldier Lentius...

...has committed a crime which demands punishment...

...in the name of every loyal citizen present.

I want this man's best friend,

not his Centurion nor his Decurion...

...but his best friend,

to come forward and carry out that punishment at my command,

not on the count of three but now,

or you'll all see hell before you see Rome again.

Come on, Lucius. It'll be all right.

I said at my command!

Go back to your regiments, both of you.

Pray the command never comes!

Silva! Silva! Silva!

Now... Silva! Silva! Silva!

...the surgeon. Silva! Silva! Silva!

Forward! Keep going forward!

Keep them up, keep them up!

We're frightening them. It can't be helped.

-We still frighten you, Myriam? -Not for years.

Marriage was the cure. You whimper in your sleep.

I won't be taking the boy this time, that should please you.

It pleases me that you don't need him.

Otherwise, you would be taking him.

Eleazar...

You would make a terrible enemy knowing me so well.

My friends...

...we're leaving our fortress, now, to raid the town of Hebron.

You want our blessing for this?

Take it. Anything, just so you go!

You're going, too

None of these men is going anywhere with you.

If we left them behind, they'd just get foolish ideas...

...about not letting us back up here.

Perhaps, not so foolish.

If we don't give them a reason for staying,

eventually, the Romans will leave...

...and we can come down of this cursed mountain and...

...reunite our people again.

The Romans have our people to slave for them,

our harvests to fill their stomachs,

our money to steal, out women to rape.

Why should they leave, ever?

No.

Life for the Romans is very easy here.

So, you are going to make it difficult!

Starting tonight, in Hebron...

...and these men are coming with me.

And if they won't come?

Then we should have to commit an offence...

-...and kill them. -A Jew killed in Jerusalem?

Enough! We're leaving immediately.

Why the town of Hebron?

Why not build a fleet of ships...

...and raid the city of Rome?

If we thought that way a few years ago...

...we might still have a temple in Jerusalem.

Now, we must do what we can.

What can you do with a few hundred men...

...that you couldn't when you had 20,000?

We can remind them that some Jews are still free!

We can hurt them, make them stop collecting taxes!

To the Romans, not collecting taxes...

...is a very painful thing.

I repeat, General, I can give you more mandragora.

No, you cannot give me mandragora!

It would make me sleep for three days...

...and I want to leave here in the morning.

If I may beg a favor of you...!

I'm sure these incantations will speed the healing of my wound,

but for now, I'd be grateful if you, revered gentlemen,

would read the omens for my return to Rome.

We have already done so, sir,

upon sacrificing and eviscerating an unblemished male goat.

We found its organs to be exceedingly healthy.

Your fee will be paid. Leave now.

Leave now!

Healthy organs...

That goat has obviously had little to do...

...with the females in this country.

-What now? -Normally, sir,

after a night sleep, I would draw a little blood,

-and redress the wound. -You can do that...

...on the march tomorrow. Put a temporary dressing on it now.

-Where was I? -"Salutations".

Salutations...

"I have the honor to report that in all sections of the Province..."

"...the collection of the Imperial Tax has begun."

"This collection is the first of its kind..."

"...in 7 years, 4 months and 9 days."

"The small and ill-organized band of fanatics,"

"who call themselves the "zealots"..."

"...and consisting in the main of thieves, murderers and..."

"...fugitives from Roman and Jewish justice..."

"...seems to have lost heart,"

"and dispersed, melting into the population."

"There are no longer even sporadic reports of rebellion."

"Thus, I can finally leave this wretched land and..."

"...return to Rome with both confidence and relief."

"Everywhere I've traveled on this final tour..."

"...I've noticed a healthy desire for peace..."

"...in the attitude of the common people of Palestine."

I was born in this place.

Don't worry, we'll get back.

"On this, the eve of my departure for Rome..."

"...I can and do affirm that the Judean war is over."

Remember: don't waste your time fighting.

Burn and get away.

Who goes there?

Guard!

Guard!

On my order.

At a dead run...

...Now!

Guards! Turn out the guards!

Turn out the guards!

Now, hold them a little longer.

You're not dreaming, father.

What have you done? What have you done?

Enough! Enough!

We will see you again at Ein-Gedi!

Ein-Gedi, remember!

I'm sorry to wake you, sir. The garrison at Hebron...

...has been attacked.

There's a good deal of damage by fire.

Many of our man were killed. It could have been bandits.

Were the horses taken?

No, sir.

Bandits don't leave horses behind.

Turn out my officers. I want a squadron of cavalry...

...ready to move before dawn.

How were they able to burn the huts and the granary?

They burned the granary only, sir. I burned the huts.

-You did. -Yes, sir.

Every third hut. I would have burned them all,

...but, of course, the men needed the other two thirds.

I take it you were extracting information.

Well, not exactly, sir.

I just felt that...

...the act shouldn't go without some sort of retribution.

And having failed miserably to collect...

...the prime source of the Empire's tax revenue,

your remedy was to ruin the farmers...

...who might, one day, replace that source.

Haven't you thought about issuing an order...

...to put every third tax-payer to the sword?

Or are you saving that for the next time?

General, these tax-payers, as you call them,

are also the sons and brothers of the fanatics.

They know who they are and where they're hiding!

And after their houses were burnt down,

no doubt they volunteered to tell you what they knew.

Well, sir, it-it's never as simple as that.

Centurion, I should have thought it was as simple as manure!

"Jew.."

"...here is my fist."

"Tell me what I want to know..."

"...and I won't hit you with it".

But you can only burn a man's house down once.

Confess it.

You just hated to see all that fire go to waste.

Well, then...

...let's look at your prisoner.

Cheerful boy.

Yours?

Once.

When he became a bandit he disowned me.

A bandit?

He knows better!

He's trying to save me from the cross.

To die as a bandit has no honor, but it's quicker.

-And that means nothing to you? -Less than nothing.

And if I were hanging right-side up...

...I'd spit on your face.

-Spoken like a zealot. -Thank you.

Centurion!

What's your reason for this trapeze act?

Sir, to make an example.

Of what? Courage and strength?

I would have thought that was the last thing...

...we'd want these Jews to see.

I've done no more than I thought was right.

You haven't had a decent word for any of it.

I suggest you relieve me of my command. In fact, I insist.

Calm down, boy. I stood for worse than this.

You must appreciate the position we were in!

No advance warning...

...those damn savages dropping over the walls like a--

-an army of monkeys! -Shut up!

I want him cut loose from that thing... Now!

Cut him down!

What's your name?

Ephraim, son of Levi. What's yours?

Flavius, son of Lucianus.

You're Flavius Silva?

The dispatcher said you were going home.

Disappointed?

Flattered.

All right.

They've been sighted. About 400, on foot.

-Where? -In the foothills of Ein-Gedi.

But no more than 50 legionaries quartered in the town.

In the foothills?

With 400 men? What are they waiting for?

-The granaries untouched? -Untouched.

Shall I order the squadron to mount?

Align south of the town. They'll see us coming.

They'll have at least an hour's warning...

-...and time to escape. -Escape? Where?

Further south. Other towns, other granaries.

But in time, we'd catch up. They know that.

At the cost of all the southern revenues.

A good plan!

You had to wait half a year...

...until all the crops were ready.

You have the news from Ein-Gedi?

Who's your commander these days?

Where does he want to meet?

He has made a small camp outside the town, the oasis Ein Shedek.

He and his officers and a few guards.

-How few? -Maybe ten.

Out of calling distance from the rest of the squadron?

Of course, he wants us to know he's not afraid of us.

-How does he strike you? -Typical.

Nose in the air, limping from a wound.

Very tired.

-He said nothing more? -Not to me.

His second in command doesn't like the idea.

-That much I could see. -You could see...

All I know is he's taking a risk!

To capture a leader is worth a risk, true or not?

We can deal with that.

So, decide.

I already have.

Too dark to see, now. Maybe in the morning?

Morning?

Now is when he will come, if he's going to come at all.

Now...

...when we can't see how many he's brought with him.

These aren't Britains or Gauls we're fighting!

Good honest rustics who stand out in the sun...

...like archery targets and dare you to do something about it.

These are more like the Egyptians,

brainy bastards without a dram of ethics.

Silva!

Silva!

Up there. On the rocks.

Here I am! What is it?

Give your guarantees!

This is the standard of a Commanding General...

...awarded by the Senate and the Emperor of Rome.

This is a "corona muralis"...

...the highest military honor bestowed on a Roman.

This is the legend and device of the family known as Cornelii,

my family.

By this standard, this medallion...

...and by the honor of my family...

...I guarantee the safe conduct and return...

...of any and all who come here.

Good enough?

Good enough.

I have no weapons, but see for yourselves.

In here?

Yes.

I take it you're Eleazar, son of Yair.

That's who I am.

This is Marcus Quadratus, General of the Legion.

Yes, I know, we all met before, at Jerusalem.

I was not in command in those days.

You're not in command in these days either!

Let's waste as little time as possible.

I haven't asked you here to negotiate.

I don't negotiate with bandits, whatever they call themselves.

You've been called here so that I can tell you...

...face to face, once and once only:

if it takes the balance of the year...

...or even another year on top of that one...

...your band will be captured and annihilated.

It is not a threat, merely a statement of fact.

No matter how many granaries you burn,

no matter how long you can keep the distance...

...between the legion and yourself, the end will be the same.

Still, I know you know a way to avoid that.

One way only,

disperse, now!

Listen to me,

I've been here for seven years.

Every one of those small insignias on my standard...

...is a representation of at least 20,000 dead Jews.

I have no wish to add to that record.

I'm sick of dead Jews,

live Jews, men, women and children...

...and of your miserable and yielding country!

Then do yourself a kindness. Go.

I was about to do just that when you made it impossible.

But in the rush, General, you would have left 5,000 men behind.

The legion will stay, of course.

And we also, of course, to keep fighting.

For how long?

How long do you think 400 can escape 5,000?

Oh...

That's what you want to know!

I won't give you a head count of our troops, but 400?

Not even as a joke.

But, then, it really is not my worry.

You want us to disperse? And let your Syrians...

...turn our barley into your money? We won't.

You tell me you will catch us and kill us...

I invite you to try.

You invite me to try?

Your country is one long and narrow graveyard already.

Your cities are flatter than your deserts,

your temple has been destroyed, and most of the survivors...

...are slaves, all for 7 years of us trying.

Give us our due, man, we know how to kill.

You've pruned the orchard,

and the best trees have survived.

And not just in the South.

Soon enough those in the North will give you cause...

...to turn you back to us. Then in the West.

Then, you'll have to turn again and again.

A war on every front.

You may never get home.

I was curious about you,

but now the answer seems simple enough.

You're insane.

I'm not about to argue about insanity...

...with a man who got his commission from Nero.

Oh, I think this one is about to lose his temper.

He did the same at Bethsaida, foolishly charging 40 archers...

...and letting 500 foot soldiers get away.

You're a liar! Quadratus!

I've had very few conversations with Jews that didn't end in a brawl.

-This conversation is now over. -You have not been dismissed!

-Is there anything left to say? -Just this:

you seem to have some pathetic notion...

...that we can't find your headquarters.

Give it up. We know all about Masada.

-My men are not there. -No, but your women and children are.

Our women and children have less to fear from you than we do.

They're on top of the safest fortress in the world!

General, we both know it would take the whole legion...

...just to keep the place surrounded.

And those on top can hold you off with rocks,

and boiling water.

It would mean tying down the Tenth Legion for months,

if not years. It would cost Rome 2,000 or 3,000 men.

And at the end, supposing it came in your lifetime,

what would you have, the final victory?

We've seen these coins. Very impressive.

A Jewish woman, at the foot of a Centurion.

Judea vanquished.

As long as one of us is alive...

...and remembers how to start a fire,

or hold a sword,

this war will go on.

And if I am insane,

how does that help you?

I think we can safely discount most of what he says.

Do you, indeed?

Bring that man back!

The honor of your family, wasn't it?

Honor is like patience, it has limits.

Spoken like a Roman.

Bandit!

-It's the one who burnt our granary! -Kill him!

Kill him at once! Don't wait!

No, no, burn him!

Kill him!

Kill him! Kill him!

Murderer! Murderer!

We finally put you where you belong!

-Tonight? -No, you wait.

You watch and you do nothing.

Kill him!

Before these wars, what was he?

Well, it's his version of what he was,

a humble fisherman, lover of freedom, family man.

-Is it a lie? -Not that he was a fisherman.

Where he comes from, there are few other ways to feed yourself.

That he was humble...

You cannot be unaware of what politicians are.

You call him that?

He comes from a long line of troublemakers.

A cousin was stoned in the cage.

Menahem was a giant of a man with...

...the crazy eyes of a prophet.

One morning, six years ago, Eleazar and some others...

...dressed the giant in a purple robe,

marched him into the temples and presented him as the new leader.

-You mean as a king? -As the messiah!

There was chaos. The Temple faction sent word to...

...the Roman Legion at Damascus. The Legion came,

the rest, you were here to see for yourself.

You're asking me to believe that was the way this rebellion began?

I was part of that Temple faction.

I was part of that great mistake.

Mistake?

Asking your help seemed to prove what the zealots were saying,

in the end, we all had to fight you.

Will you give him to us?

There's something obscene about a country...

...that can be so hot in the daytime and so cold at night.

You want some covering?

Of course I want some covering.

Go to bed. Leave us alone.

Leave us!

A messenger's just come from Ein-Gedi.

I have disappointing news for you.

There's been no attack, if that's what you mean.

Your followers don't seem too upset about your capture.

They're waiting.

-For what? -News that I'm dead.

When that comes, they will chose a new leader.

He will order them down from the foothills...

...and Ein-Gedi will burn.

Maybe, we shouldn't keep them waiting.

That's up to you, General!

Whenever you can't wait to see that glow in the sky, then do it.

Now. Right now.

Before morning, Rome will have one granary less.

Then they will move on to Ammaus, or maybe Gurion.

Of course, at that point, it will no longer be a concern of mine.

Good night.

This pretending to be indifferent to your own death...

...is a trick you've picked up from us.

I've always been good at it and I can smell it a mile off.

Very difficult to sleep with you talking.

I think your life still means something to them.

I think they're offering a bargain.

They know better.

If you send me back tomorrow the orders would be the same.

No bargain is possible.

Was your idiot cousin the "Son of God"?

The giant messiah?

He was my uncle, not my cousin.

And for us, a messiah is not the son of God.

He's a leader prophesied to deliver us from our enemies.

A saviour of our people.

We've had many claimants to that title.

The Nazareth faction and that Christ.

What went wrong with yours?

Jealousy, backbiting...

I'll tell you a secret not even Nero knew.

Do you want to know how to destroy the Jews?

Leave them in peace.

They'll be at each other's throats soon enough.

But as long as we have an enemy, we are brothers.

Good night.

Is that my shadow? That willow twig?

I was fat when I came to this country, Epos.

Fat!

And if I don't get out of here soon...

...one day, there'll be no shadow at all.

Guard!

In here!

Go.

I'll be all right.

Out.

That's twice you've ended a conversation...

...before I'd finished talking.

Nothing comes of talking with you.

What do you expect?

Just that. Nothing.

Liar.

You're no fanatic.

But you have a hold on them, somehow,

even those who hate you.

Sit down.

What does it take to stop you?

That.

If I'd thought so, you wouldn't be talking.

I mean, peace,

what will it cost?

You're serious?

We want our freedom back.

We want our country back.

Back? When was it ever yours?

It's always belonged to somebody. Babylon, Egypt.

For a thousand years, it's been a recognized war trophy.

-A costly one. -Yes.

A curse to every army that try to occupy it.

Well, there's a new possibility for you. For Rome.

Rid yourself of that curse.

I spent some time in your bazaars.

The man in the stall begins at an impossible starting price.

It is understood by both parties that he will settle for less.

What will you settle for?

You want taxes.

You want trade concessions.

You want rights of way.

Then, you must give up something.

Get to the point.

Give us one tax-free year, beginning now.

Let us use the money to feed the people.

Then rebuild the temples...

...so that they may have a center to their lives again.

Next.

If your Emperor insists on ruling Israel,

let him rule it as Rome used to in the days of Herod,

through a governor, who is a Jew.

Next.

Let this governor form and maintain an army made up of Jews,

so that the Legion can go home.

So that after a time, this country can assume...

...the status of an ally, not a slave.

You have dreams.

No dreams.

That's what we'll-- settle for.

I don't doubt it. I think your people would settle...

...for a great deal less.

Yes, but you're talking to me now.

You know what I say makes perfect sense.

Suppose I agree to take the terms back with me to Rome,

what would you do?

If you agreed to pull your troops north of Jericho,

and leave the south unmolested--

-Then? -Then we would go to Masada...

...and wait.

No more raids.

No more granaries burnt.

Now,

if you truly know the bazaars,

you know the moment comes when the man in the stall...

...will go no lower, not to save his life.

The choice left belongs to the buyer.

The buyer is Vespasian.

Will you take the terms back with you?

I will.

It does make perfect sense.

Go on! There's nothing in your books to say no, is there?

I don't trust it.

It's one of the few things I do trust,

my oldest surviving friend.

What do you trust?

Not me, for certain.

You're wrong.

I do trust you.

After what I did at the oasis?

Because of what you did.

If you'd let me go, this couldn't have happened.

You're the first Roman I've ever seen...

...who thought that peace might be worth more than his honor.

Gods above the oriental mind.

Not a cavalry man, are you?

-I can handle him. -Him?

It's a mare you're upon, Solomon, not a stallion.

The orders from Vespasian should be here by spring.

We'll wait.

If you ever come to Rome, I'm building a villa in Praeneste.

I will never come to Rome.

They all say that.

Good bye.

Sir, the tax payment has been promised.

I know.

It may already be a part of the budget.

-You know how the Treasury works-- -The won't be disappointed.

I'll cover it from my personal funds.

The Empire and I have the same banker,

it's merely a question of paperwork.

-It's an enormous sum-- -It is, indeed.

It's all I have. Vespasian will reimburse me.

-Quadratus... -Sir?

You understand this conversation is unofficial.

-In fact, it never took place. -Of course.

Now, officially...

All elements of the Legion to be pulled back and billeted in Jericho!

No patrols, no sorties!

No action of any kind, except in defense!

And no further attempt be made to collect taxes...

...until the new directives come through. Any questions?

None, sir.

Before you return to Jericho, I want these burnt-out huts rebuilt.

-May I ask why, sir? -Why?

For nothing, Quadratus, for nothing.

-You're going to the port? -Yes.

This is for no-one but Mucianus.

Tell one of the sailors to bring it to him at his home.

Not at the Senate. And to add this:

Silva is paying the taxes out of his own pocket.

No!

Hurry, you'll be missed.

Sir,

what about the burnt-out huts?

Orders,

for the time being, are orders.

He let you go?

He's a sensible man.

What now?

I made him a proposal, for peace.

He promised to take it to Rome and we'll wait for Vespasian's answer.

And meanwhile?

Meanwhile, we tend our crops and we raise our children.

Or is it the other way around?

For a worthless promise, he does what he couldn't do with his legion,

he takes away our swords!

He promised to pull his men back to Jericho. I believe him.

Romans are suckled on lies.

If he lied, we will know what to do.

Meantime, we keep our word.

We wait...

...and we see what Rome has to say.

This is the king who solved the famous riddle...

...and towered up most powerful of men.

No mortal eyes but looked on him with envy.

Yet, in the end, ruins swept over him.

Let every man in mankind's frailty...

...consider his last day...

...and let none presume on his good fortune...

...until he finds life...

...a memory without pain.

Caesar, you have witnessed the "Oedipus" of Sophocles,

a banquet for the soul.

Then, if the Imperial palate is ready for the laxative...

...we will proceed to our after-piece,

a newly-commissioned dumb-show,

as usual, unfit for the delicate sensibilities of the vestal virgins.

With apologies, and farewell to the ladies.

-I've heard about this pantomime. -Don't spoil it for me, woman.

Keep above the eggshells.

Caesar,

before our presentation--

Yes, I pardon you all in advance.

-Ominous. -Look at the Senators!

Titus! It looks just like him!

Look at that beast, it looks like Titus.

It's Domitian, the donkey.

-It's Caesar! -Caesar?

I want to hear you laughing, understand?

Sir, Flavius Silva has arrived from the sea port.

He's at the Temple of Mars as you ordered.

He stays there, outside.

He speaks to no-one, not even the priests.

It's a Britain.

Bending knees, just like the Egyptians.

A Jew... Look at the Jew!

It can't be any plainer than that, it's declared war!

A masterpiece of subtlety and taste.

Is the author a prot�g� of yours?

Anonymously written, Caesar.

It begins to bore me. Does it go on much longer?

That remains to be seen.

Welcome home.

I'm a poor excuse for an official reception.

Did they give you something to eat?

Yes, they gave me something to eat.

That was three hours ago.

Would you mind telling me what all this is about?

I'd love to do just that, my friend, but...

...the Emperor has yet to tell anyone, including me.

But you'll find out soon enough, I've been sent to fetch you.

-You look awful. -Judea is an awful place.

It goes well with you, I take it.

The gods have decided to be reasonable, for a change.

Hard work is rewarded.

I don't expect it to last.

Oh, forgive me, we'd better talk as we walk.

-Vespasian, how is he? -His health is excellent.

Spoken to nobody since you landed, especially...

-...about that awful place. -Not even the statues?

No, this way.

It's shorter. I see you still limp from your wound.

Falco, how do you know about my wound?

It wasn't mentioned in dispatches.

There are dispatches and dispatches.

One thing I can tell you: the Emperor and his sons...

...are no longer so secured as they were a year ago.

-There's a rival for the position. -So soon?

Vespasian's instructions are for you to enter the Council chamber...

...and be surprised at nothing that you see there.

Friend, if I knew what was expected of me--

Dead silence, friend, and a blank expression.

Pay his respects,

General of the Army, Cornelius Flavius Silva.

Let it be noted that the Privy Council paused in its work...

...to welcome and applaud a comrade in arms.

On behalf of the Senate, may I express my surprise and delight...

...on seeing General Silva safe and alive.

May I voice the hope that the great Tenth Legion is also... safe?

Mucianus, you place the General at a disadvantage since...

...none but members may speak in this chamber.

Allow me to speak for him.

No legion in the world this evening is safer than the Tenth.

I wonder if that's because they were pulled back...

...so far from the enemy.

Enemy? What enemy?

I do understand, Caesar, that you wish...

...to bring up the Judean question, now.

I understand that you've been burning to bring it up for weeks.

Very well, by all means, Mucianus.

Let us have a frank and open exchange of views.

I bring this up, Caesar, simply because I'm curious...

...as to why the General found it necessary to meet there...

...with the commander of the Jewish forces and conclude a truce.

A truce?

A truce is not possible unless there is a war.

And there is no war in Judea.

The General, using his judgement as a soldier...

...decided to show mercy to a bandit.

We must all on occasion do that.

Nevertheless, it would appear that you have allowed this...

...excellent officer to return without having finished his job. Why?

My dear Mucianus, I thought everyone knew that,

even your own sources.

Allow me to tell you, then.

This excellent officer has returned to celebrate my forthcoming birthday,

to have his wound looked at by some proper physicians,

and once, with the approval of the Senate,

he's accepted the post of Governor General of Judea,

he will return to take up that post...

...and deal with those minor matters...

...that seem to fear your correspondent.

Yet, there are still one or two niggling questions--

Niggle away, manage your speciality.

We've been promised the resumption of tax payment--

You've been promised nothing!

The Roman people have been promised the revenues...

...and the promise has been kept.

But how long can General Silva continue to pay the taxes...

...out of his own personal funds?

If you will permit me,

I have had some experience in the area of...

...international monetary exchange.

What General Silva has done is this:

on being informed of his impending appointment,

he merely notified his bankers in Rome...

...to advance the tax revenues here.

The Judean collections are mainly in Syrian currency,

which the new Governor General found more easily disposable...

...for his own use in that part of the world.

As a matter of fact,

it's saving us a 5% conversion fee.

The General has done the Empire yet another service.

Anything else?

Caesar, this is all very impressive.

What I want to know is, when can we expect the Tenth Legion...

...to be free for duty elsewhere in the Empire?

How strong are these bandits?

Where do we stand in Judea?

We stand ready to bring the Legion out.

When? With all due respect.

Next week? Next month? Next year?

The Senate wishes to know.

Within six months from today,

the Tenth Legion will be free for duty on the Danube.

And the Emperor will say as much...

...before the entire Senate?

The Emperor will say as much before the entire country.

This Council begins to resemble something less dignified.

For that, you have the street corners, Mucianus.

We're adjourned.

General, please join us in the other room.

-It looks like we've stopped him. -Oh, rubbish.

We've only slowed him down. Were you listening?

-Yes. -What do you think?

I think he's not strong enough, not yet.

He hasn't got the Praetorians. They're still neutral.

Bloody ingrates.

Had the impertinence to be neutral after all I've done for them?

Next thing, they'll want one of them nominated as co-consul.

I agree, Caesar.

I advise you not to block him, he'll only make an issue of it.

Let him, if he hasn't got the votes--

If...? We've got to be sure before we do anything!

After Nero killed himself...

...three Emperors in one year went out of that window!

Largely, because they couldn't judge the strength of the oposition.

If Vitellius had known how shaky my support was, he'd still be here.

Thanks to the new Governor General it was very nearly my turn.

What were you thinking of, Silva?!

If that question isn't rhetorical, I would like to answer it.

Answer!

I was thinking that the concessions they wanted...

...were a very small price to pay for peace, order and revenues.

I was thinking of the good of Rome.

-My judgement in these events-- -Your judgement?

You're a soldier, you're supposed to fight, not make policy!

With your permission, I was not making policy,

I agreed only to bring the terms to you!

Caesar, what do they want?

A temple, their own governor.

These things they had once.

It's my belief that our strategy there has been a mistaken one.

What they wanted is what we should have done in the first place.

All right.

You've answered.

Maybe you're right.

But the point is we cannot grant these concession now.

You saw, you heard.

Hadn't been for our friend Falco, double-talking the Privy Council,

we'd probably all be on horseback by now.

-I won't forget that. -Nothing, Caesar.

It's too late.

You can't grant concessions once you've proclaimed the victory.

What's left of the opposition must be stamped out,

the entire leadership brought here in chains,

and the Tenth Legion brought within six months.

I was in the Council chamber, I heard the promise.

Look, you may not realize this,

but I've been buying time for both of us.

My name hits a list and your name is on it.

So, if I take that little leap off that top end rock...

...I won't be doing it alone.

-Understood? -Understood.

You'd better get yourself a new Second-in-Command.

That's right, the one you've got is a spy for the opposition.

-Quadratus? -Mm-hm, and one other, that--

-What's his name? -Merovius, your Senior Tribune.

This has turned into quite an evening.

-And who is yours, Caesar? -Find out for yourself.

Oh, it's nobody you need to be afraid of.

Oh, look, it's not so bad.

Once the troops are out of there,

you can open a government palace at Caesarea,

sit on the throne, make some laws, be visible.

You'll be a very rich man in a very short time.

You may not be aware of it but...

...this is your new emblem of office.

I'm not ungrateful, Caesar, it's just that I'm so tired.

You know, it's, uh--

hard to recognize you without a drink in your hand.

Shall we walk?

Though late, we never said how sorry we all were...

-...about your lady, I mean. -Thank you.

Look, it's not just tiredness, you really did expect...

...those concessions to be granted, didn't you?

Yes, I did, because it was a way of reason.

That's unfortunate.

Nobody regrets it more than I do. And sometimes...

...reason can be treacherous.

Caesar,

when you and Titus and I were serving together in the field,

we talked of one thing over and over again.

A dream we had. It wasn't just a world without Nero,

it was a world enlightened, that was the way we put it.

A gift Rome had to give the world.

A way of life, civilization, peace.

Yes, I remember.

You remember this because it was you who said it.

Without that dream as a mission...

...we were worse than the barbarians we conquered...

...because they made no pretence of a desire for anything better.

They had no dream.

I think of the zealot and what I said to him.

That we were better at building than at tearing down.

I believed it when I said it.

And I believe the dream to be a good one.

-Do you still believe it? -More than ever before.

I haven't changed.

Look at me. I haven't changed.

But Mucianus...

...although he's a skillful men, as well as an ambitious one,

he has never dreamed that dream and he never will.

That is why, if what we all wanted is to be brought about,

we have no choice now in Judea.

About my Second-in-Command, I pray it won't come to this,

but I may need a good Siege Commander.

-Is Rubrius Gallus still alive? -Yes, he is! He's yours.

Good choice.

What do I do about Quadratus and his friend?

Whatever you like, as long as you're discrete.

To success!

To the dream.

Happy birthday, Caesar!

UN PUEBLO EN JUDEA

What do they expect us to do about it?

Dance on the housetops?

Let's pray they pass us by.

I lost a father and three brothers...

...when they celebrated Caligulas's birthday.

-Will they pass? -Does it matter?

Are you afraid for your daughter?

For your wife, Mathias.

-Go back inside. -No!

She's used to the company of men.

Hey.

Hey!

Hey! Hey!

You're always on the look out for whores?

I got one in my house! You want her, huh?

She came from Alexandria three days ago...

...dressed as a bride!

You want a woman? You want her for free?

She's a whore! Come on, take her!

I'm sorry...

...but then you never asked me who I wanted.

She's for free! She's a whore!

-Not a bad way to make a living. -What? Peddling your wife?

No, you clot. I mean, the threshing floor over there.

Farmers come from miles away.

Probably, pay six to eight drachmas a bushel.

-I've seen it! -So what?

So, a man can be very comfortable doing that for a living.

You got anything better, waiting for you, back at home?

No... No!

Well, talk to the Decurion about it as soon as we stop.

If we ever stop.

The man never seems to relieve himself.

Only when he sleeps.

Are you going to do it?

I'm thinking about it.

There's not much time! We get mustered out tomorrow.

Well, I don't. I've got another year.

Besides, you know what I have to do if I want to talk to the General.

I have to shave.

Find somebody else.

Nobody can talk for us but our own Decurion.

Mm-hm. Stupid regulation, isn't it?

I know what he wants.

You want in, don't you?

You're in.

Somebody give me a razor!

Sir, this request is going through channels...

...and comes from two twenty-year veterans.

I ask the Commander to consider it seriously.

They don't expect mustering-out pay on top of it, do they?

Sir, they begged me to convey--

Pretend you're a man, Decurion, and talk like one.

Sir, they'd be willing to take title to the property...

...instead of the cash they've got coming.

I don't doubt they would.

-Tell them I'm thinking about it. -Yes, sir!

Thank you, sir!

Oh, Decurion?

-How much are you in for? -Still one year to go, sir.

One third, sir.

Dismissed.

You're not really thinking about it?

Yes.

What do we do about the others?

In the next month, we'll have 900 men mustering out.

Precisely! And let's say that...

...half of them decide to do the same as these three, huh?

That threshing floor alone could take thirty of them.

Then, there are orchards,

olive presses, vineyards...

Incredible opportunities for an enterprising Roman!

Yes, half of them will probably jump at it.

Whatever families they had are probably dead by now--

Well, don't you see?

500 men signing over their mustering-out pay,

500 drachmas each.

I think we are moving too fast, sir.

The land's not ours to give.

Well, in dispatches, we can call it, uh...

...reward for acts of bravery.

During the truce?

Oh, the Jews will have broken the truce.

They will!

Merovius,

250,000 drachmas for us, to begin with.

And one day, we'll be mustered out.

I wish we had word from Mucianus.

The next word from Mucianus will be short and sweet:

"We observe Vespasian's funeral."

The Senate sends its best wishes and my commission...

...and the Tenth hears its marching orders.

If the savages haven't broken the truce by then...

...that ought to do it.

In Caesar's name...

...this is your land!

Now, get this through your heads!

This was our idea! We give the orders!

I'm waiting for the day you try to give me an order.

Who's going to live in that house?

Centurion!

Not a Centurion, darling, I'm a Tribune.

All the better, Tribune. I'm clean.

Are you, now?

I was born in Egypt.

I learned things in Egypt.

-Why me? -It's obvious, Tribune.

You see the choice I have.

I could give you to them,

afterwards.

You won't.

We'll see.

My parents are in that house.

I'm dying to meet them.

It's all right!

We're safe!

In Caesar's name...

...for long and valorous service in the field...

...this is your property!

In Caesar's name, this is your land!

Out of the way! I said out!

God, will you see this and do nothing?

Move them out. All of them.

Orders, you'll have to vacate this settlement.

We must not stay in any case.

As soon as you set foot on our ground...

...our ground became befiled.

It had been many Caesars'...

...but none before dared to do this.

If you live long enough, you'll see everything.

Yes, Centurion, you speak the truth.

Eleazar!

Eleazar!

Eleazar!

What has brought you here?

Truce has been broken.

The Roman Commander has seized all the farmland...

...of the Lower Jordan Valley.

-Has there been fighting? -As always.

When they move on us they kill without question.

Why are the Essene left alive?

Because it pleases God.

Why?

Because He considers you holier than the rest of us?

That, you must ask Him.

Scrolls of the Law and the Prophets.

There's now no safer place in Israel.

You believe in this fortress now.

The scrolls must be kept safe.

Then, why not leave them here and go back down?

We are the guardians of the written word.

We may not be separated from it.

Very convenient.

You will now give ear to the spoken word.

God has delivered you to a place of work.

Work you will do as long as you are here.

In a little time, this will be a place of war.

Each of you will fight.

Whoever will not work when he is bidded to,

whoever will not fight when the time comes...

...will be lifted up in these hands...

...and thrown down from this mountain top.

And the scrolls after him.

Eleazar!

With all due respect.

How does it seem to you?

We have Vespasian's answer.

Now let's give him ours.

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