A priestly aristocrat in Judea, Joseph Mattathyahu led part of the defense of Galilee against Rome, but surrendered when his territory was overrun in 67 and was taken to Rome, where he changed his name and spent the rest of his life producing four works in 30 volumes about the war, Judean history and culture, and his own career. The series of new translation and commentary continues here with Judean Antiquities 5.1-10.185, the second fourth of Josephus' 20-book opus. This segment covers some 650 years, from 1240-585 BCE, during which time the Israelites lived as an independent nation on the land, from the occupation under Joshua through the deportations under Nebuchadnezzar that temporarily ended the people life in the land. The commentary is in the form of extensive footnotes. Annotation ©2004 Book News, Inc., Portland, OR (booknews.com)