Rather than fight to the death, they opted for mass suicide. Since suicide is prohibited in Judaism, the men killed their wives and children first, then gathered in the bathhouse. Each wrote his name on a shard of pottery and threw it into a pot. They took turns drawing a name, then killing the man listed until only one remained, who either committed suicide or was killed by a woman. When the Romans stormed up the ramp the next morning, they found 960 bodies. Only two women and five children were found alive. After this, the Romans had no more problems in Judea for decades. The First
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