It's 70 AD.

The Roman Empire is at war.

Following the downfall of the tyrant Nero,

just a handful of months have passed since four powerful generals vied for control of the capital

and the position of Emperor himself.

In the wake of this political instability following the demise of Rome's first imperial dynasty.

Far-off client states, opportunistic power players and subjugated people alike

seized the opportunity to strike out for themselves.

From the forests of Germany to the deserts of Africa, battles had raged.

Allegiance has shifted.

But none of these conflicts was as far-reaching and as all-encompassing as that which played out in the Holy Land.

The recently provincialized client state of Judea, homeland of the Jews.

Four years earlier, this latest addition to the empire had exploded into rebellion.

The likes of which had not been seen in the region for decades.

For this is the age of the Bible, and messianic millinerian fever has gripped the land.

With candidate after candidate, harking back to the time of independence

by claiming the revered title, King of the Jews,

with the aim of throwing off the shackles of Roman rule.

A charismatic bandit leader called Hezekiah had been won.

Mysterious rebels, known simply as the Samaritan and the Egyptian, were others.

But each of these messiahs had failed, mostly ending up nailed to a cross.

For four years, one of the great cities in the East, the most celebrated of all,

...