Josephus Open this page in a new tab

Josephus was born in Jerusalem to a father of priestly descent and a mother who claimed Royal Hasmonean Ancestry. He was the head of the Jewish forces in Galilee fighting the Romans in the first Jewish War when under an elaborate set of circumstances, he switched sides and ended up helping the Romans with intelligence. As such, he was an eyewitness to the War and the final siege of Jerusalem along with the destruction of the Second Temple. He was granted Roman citizenship during the war and had close ties to the Flavian Dynasty.