explain the cityâs fortifications to youâ.
Neopolitanus was surprised to hear a Roman general say that a city couldnât be taken. The invincibility of Romeâs military machine had been dinned into him from childhood. Wisely he didnât dispute this with the Legate . Instead he saluted smartly and took his leave. The column was now deep into what seemed to be a sea of people. Painfully slowly, displaying the legionâs golden eagle, its standards raised and its drums beating, the column made its way through the city gates into Jerusalem.
The road leading to the Antonia also led to the Temple and was packed with people. The pavements were lined with vendors offering a bewildering variety of merchandise. The noise was deafening, with people shouting and arguing; pedlars and merchants calling out the virtues of their particular wares; beggars soliciting alms; herds of penned animals bawling; the rumble of wagon wheels as carts drawn by camels forced their way through. Motes of dust, stirred by countless feet, danced in shafts of sunlight that sliced across the rooftops to penetrate the maze of streets latticed with hard white light and indigo shadows.
As Gallusâ cohorts approached the Antonia, streams of worshippers were leaving the Temple to cross the bridge into the western half of the city, heading for the soukâs markets, swelling the crowds shopping in its narrow shaded streets. The booths lining the souk were piled high with goods brought from every corner of the world - baskets, thimbles, carpets and textiles of every kind and colour. From Arabia - glassware, silver and gold craftworks. From India - spices and precious stones. From Africa - exotic animals, slaves, gold, ivory and ebony. From Edom - myrrh, aromatic oils, rare woods and precious spices, traded through India by the Parthians, the unconquered tribes Rome feared most.
From China, a land of mystery, its borders closed to foreigners, came silk. Worth ten times its weight in gold, it was only available to a handful of merchants who had survived the journey to Beijing and been accepted as trading partners. Even then they could only deal with one man, appointed by the Chinese Emperor to negotiate the sale of silk, who in turn would only negotiate sales with Romeâs designated merchants, be they Jews or Arabs.
At every corner there were vendors selling sweetmeats, water, wine and fruit juices; the sellers clashing finger cymbals to attract attention. In the fish market, stalls were brimming with fresh fish of every description, next to which were barrels of salted and pickled eels. Overhead hung poles supporting bundles of dried fish, stiff as shingles and bleached almost white. Butchers displayed cuts of lamb and goat, the heads of which were impaled on spikes, eyes glaring balefully at prospective customers. Hearts, livers and lungs were displayed on hooks like jewelled necklaces.
The warm air was redolent with a potpourri of scents, spices, incense, vegetables, fruit, flowers, herbs, animal dung, garbage from the markets, sweet smelling oils and perfumes; all mingling with the odours of frying foods and the smells that accompany humans in close contact. A pungent aroma that would intensify as the day got hotter.
To make progress through this seemingly impenetrable mass, Neopolitanus placed a squad of heavy infantry at the head of the cohort who marched in close order, shields held edge to edge along the side of their columns. With trumpets blowing and drums beating out a steady marching cadence, the column moved forward, though not without some cursing and the odd vegetable being hurled in their direction by an irate citizen.
Neopolitanus was not alone in breathing a sigh of relief when they arrived at the Antonia fortress, the headquarters of the occupying troops permanently garrisoned in Jerusalem. A guard of honour had been turned out to meet them. They entered the fortress to a fanfare of trumpets and were greeted by