Tel Yodfat
Tel Yodfat is an archaeological site in the lower Galilee that witnessed a fierce battle between the Jews and the Romans about 2,000 years ago. In 67 CE, The Romans stormed the site, brutally suppressing a local rebellion. Today, the site bears remains of daily life and the battle that ended with the site’s destruction.
History and Archaeology of Yodfat
According to the Mishnah, the Israelites settled Yodfat in Joshoua’s time (Arachin 9 6). It may also have been the hometown of King Amon’s Mother (2 Kings 19:21). In 732 BCE, the Assyrian king Tiglat Pileser recorded ‘Yotvat’ among the cities he conquered in Israel. Archaeological finds indicate Jews settled Yodfat again in the Hellenistic period. By the first century, Yodfat was a significant Jewish town.
When the Jewish rebellion broke out (66 CE), Josephus oversaw the armament of the city, preparing it for a Roman assault. Later, as a historian in Rome, he documented the battle in detail (Wars 3 7 3). The Jews held against the Romans repeated attacks for more than six weeks, but eventually, Romand conquered Yodfat and razed it to the ground. Forty thousand men were killed, and 1,200 women and children were enslaved. They also captured Josephus, but according to his testimony, he prophesized to Vespasianhis emperorship, which in return spared his life. Eventually, even Yodfat’s location was forgotten.
A New Book About Yodefat and its Research by Prof. Aviam
In 2024, Professor Aviam published a book combining insights from his research on Yodefat and Josephus, interwoven in a chilling way with his personal biography. In October 1973, at the outbreak of the Yom Kippur War, Aviam was a tank commander in the 188th “Barak” Armored Brigade stationed in the Golan Heights. Together with his comrades, he tried to block the Syrian armor, and when they were left without tanks, the fighters found themselves facing a decision of suicide with unpinned grenades in their hands. Many years later, when excavating Yodefat, Aviam noticed the similarity between his own fighting and the warriors of Yodefat in 67 CE, both facing the dilemma of suicide.
The book is currently available only in Hebrew, at this website.
Touring Yodfat
Since 2014, Yoffat has been a national park. Several visual aids spread throughout the site illustrate the Roman conquest of Yodfat. Marked trails lead visitors through the different parts of the mound, and they are accompanied by plaques with explanations. Reading Josephus and contemplating the great battle here about 2,000 years ago makes touring Yodfat a very moving experience.
A tour of Tel Yodfat can be combined with a day tour in the north.
