The Hoover Institution in DC hosts Ideas Uncorked: Jews Vs. Rome Book Launch on Thursday, October 16, 2025 from 5:00–6:30 pm ET. The event will feature Barry Strauss.
ABOUT
Barry Strauss is the Corliss Page Dean Senior Fellow at the Hoover Institution, and the Bryce and Edith M. Bowmar Professor of Humanistic Studies Emeritus at Cornell University.
Strauss is a military and naval historian with a focus on ancient Greece and Rome and their lessons for today. “No one presents the military history of the ancient world with greater insight and panache than Strauss,” wrote Publishers Weekly. His books have been translated into twenty languages and include several bestsellers. His The Battle of Salamis (2004), Masters of Command (2012), Ten Caesars (2019), and The War that Made the Roman Empire (2022), all appeared on best books of the year lists. Strauss is a a winner of the 2025 Bradley Prize, honoring his lifelong dedication to the study and teaching of Western civilization and classical and military history. In recognition of his scholarship, Strauss was elected to membership of the American Academy of Sciences and Letters. He received Italy's Lucio Colletti Journalism Prize for Literature in 2015. He was named an Honorary Citizen of Salamis, Greece in 2012. He has received fellowships from the National Endowment for the Humanities, the German Academic Exchange Service, the Korea Foundation, the American School of Classical Studies at Athens, and the American Academy in Rome
ABOUT THE BOOK
Jews vs. Rome is a gripping account of one of the most momentous eras in human history: the two hundred years of ancient Israel’s battles against Rome that reshaped Judaism and gave rise to Christianity. Barry Strauss vividly captures the drama of this era, highlighting the courageous yet tragic uprisings, the geopolitical clash between the empires of Rome and Persia, and the internal conflicts among Jews.
Between 63 BCE and 136 CE, the Jewish people launched several revolts driven by deep-seated religious beliefs and resentment towards Roman rule. Judea, a province on Rome’s eastern fringe, became a focal point of tension and rebellion. Jews vs. Rome recounts the three major uprisings: the Great Revolt of 66–70 CE, which led to the destruction of Jerusalem and the Temple, culminating in the Siege of Masada, where defenders chose mass suicide over surrender; the Diaspora Revolt, ignited by heavy taxes across the Empire; and the Bar Kokhba Revolt. We meet pivotal figures such as Simon Bar Kokhba but also some of those lesser-known women of the era like Berenice, a Jewish princess who played a major role in the politics of the Great Revolt and was improbably the love of Titus—Rome’s future emperor and the man who destroyed Jerusalem and the Temple.
Today, echoes of those battles resonate as the Jewish nation faces new challenges and conflicts. Jews vs. Rome offers a captivating narrative that connects the past with the present, appealing to anyone interested in Rome, Jewish history, or the compelling true tales of resilience and resistance.
