This looks very well researched.
If you have knowledge of Israel in the first century BC, I may have a question or two for you, as I'm writing my own TL with a significant portion involving the Middle-East in that era.
I have fair knowledge of Hasmonean and Herodian historiography and would be glad to help.
In those days there was no King in Israel
Far away, the most powerful man in the world had just ceremonially dug the first shovelful of dirt intended for his canal to bisect the Corinthian isthmus. His negligence in governing was renowned, as he had recently gone on tour to show off his limited skills at music, theater, and sports. Nero was attentive enough to realize the threat that revolt in Judea posed. The ancient eastern enemy, Parthia would love to exploit such a disturbance, especially given the strong Jewish lobby in Parthia.
A competent, battle tested general was needed to end the crisis. But paranoia could never take you too far. Nero was well aware of his certain, dubious, reputation among the masses. He needed to pick a nonentity, someone who would never dare to challenge Nero’s claim to the throne.
Flavius Vespasian fit the bill perfectly. A veteran general who had quashed an uprising in Britain quite competently, Vespasian had been given a triumph and the governorship of Africa. Rather than indulge in the usual scum and villainy of corrupt governors, Vespasian had left Africa a pauper. He had resorted to being a mule salesman to subsidize his living. Even better for Nero, was Vespasian’s distinct lack of noble legitimacy that would entitle him to the belief that he could become emperor. He was the perfect nobody for the job.
A bust of Vespasian. (Image from Wikipedia)
Vespasian was granted command of three legions as the Propraetorian Legate of the Army of Judea, the Vth, the Xth and the XVth. The Fifth and the Tenth were already stationed in Syria, and Vespasian traveled overland to meet them. His eldest son, Titus, was put in command of the Fifteenth, located in Egypt. Come spring, the disorganized rebels would have to face yet another vast army.
In the six months since the affair at Caesarea that sparked war, the Jews had not designated any leaders. Individuals such as Eleazar ben Ananias, Menachem and Simon bar Giora had achieved local preeminence, but they only spoke for their narrow subsection of subscribers. For any chance of facing the insatiable war machine that was Rome, a unified front had to be assembled.
Across the Roman world, such an organization would be comprised of the local elite. Judea was, as usual, a unique case. The local elite were for the most part not respected. Herod had appointed cronies and phonies to positions of wealth and power during his nearly four decade long reign. This newly enriched aristocracy had to lack legitimacy from the start, otherwise the detested Herod would have been overthrown. Thus, when Judea became directly ruled by of Rome, the oblivious Romans assumed that the local respected elite were the rich landowners like in most other places. However, the complicated system of patronage that made Rome run did not exist in Judea. The Herodian upper classes were simply hated. Rabbis, religious teachers of the Law, were the real favorites of the masses. Even the High Priests were no longer as respected as in the days of old, coming from distant lands and having ephemeral terms dictated by the pagan rulers.
No matter. The elite recognized the shoddy position they were in. Some were certainly convinced by the miracle of Beth-Horon and bought into the messianic millennialism of the day, enthusiastically supporting the war. Others recognized that the hand of Rome could not be stayed, and preferred to sit out the war, and emerge unscathed. However, that was not an option. The mob would consume such traitors. They would have to win the grudging population over by deeds, risking mob violence aimed to overthrow them for perceived inadequacies.
In the Hall of Unhewn Stones, where the Sanhedrein met, a general convention of the high-born priests and the rich landowners met to organize the provisional government that would resist the next Roman offensive. Sitting adjacent to the magnificent Temple, which was bedecked in gold and glory, that smelled of incense and burnt offerings, the elite began to plan.
Judea would be divided into six districts, governed by generals selected the provisional government. Ananus ben Ananus, a totally distinct former High Priest than the recently deceased Ananias ben Nebedeus, appointed himself supreme commander. He had lost his job as High Priest a few years before the revolt after violating procedural laws after ordering a certain James, brother of Jesus stoned. As commander, The Sadducee Ananus had a tendency to micromanage his dispersed forces and to lose his temper when things did not go his way. He had grown up luxuriously, and had exercised power throughout his entire life. War would be a wake-up call for him. His deputy, Joseph ben Gorion was a friend and ally, who exercised powers as the second in command. The other positions were harder to allot. Ananus did not want any of the true believers to join his government. He preferred that the government stay firmly in the hands of the educated elite, people he knew and could almost trust.
Using class distinction as his grading criteria, Ananus refused to seat any of the numerous bandit leaders and Zealots, despite their contribution to the cause. Simon bar Giora was regarded as uncouth and dangerous. Ananus falsely charged him of robbing the houses of the elite, and managed to run him out of Jerusalem and into Masada with a much diminished clique.
Eleazar ben Simon had profited the most from beth-Horon, scooping up the Roman treasury, siege engines, and many weapons. He was marginalized, but when an unintended power vacuum developed because Eleazar ben Ananias was appointed governor of Idumea, Eleazar ben Simon seized the chance to become master of the Temple Mount.
After the dust had settled, Ananus appointed young, proven, competent men to lead the districts, appointing the following men:
For Idumea: Niger the Perean, the current governor of appointed by the Romans, had to settle for being superseded by Eleazar ben Ananias and Jesus ben Sapphias.
For Jericho: Joseph ben Simon.
For Perea: Manasseh.
For Thamna and the West: John the Essene.
For Gophna and the center: John ben Mathias, the son of the current high priest.
For the Galilee: Joseph ben Mattiyahu. The Galilee would be hardest province to hold, and the least distinguished. The Galileans were regarded as hillbillies and rednecks, who scarcely deserved being called real Jews by the scoffing elite. In addition, the Galilee was not contiguous with the rest of the Judean lands, being cut off by the notorious hostile Samaritans to the south and surrounded by Greek cities. However, the Galilee was important strategically, it was the path that Adiabene and Babylonian support must go through to help the rebellion. The real kicker for poor Joseph was the impeding invasion. The Roman armies would have to march through the Galilee to put out the rebellion, as Cestius Gallus had already done. Joseph had only a couple months to prepare his rural and undeveloped province on the periphery for Vespasian’s assault.
Map of the Districts as assigned by the Provisional Government (Base Map comes from Wikipedia)
Despite the elaborate planning on the part of provisional government, most of the defensive provisions never happened. Jerusalem was too alluring, too central, and most of the generals never even left the safety and comfort of Jerusalem's walls. Jerusalem itself would be governed by Ananus, and Joseph ben Gorion. It would be the focus of the provisional government due to its massive population, impenetrable defenses, and religious significance. Thus, the first acts of the provisional government were to repair the walls of Jerusalem from the recent attack.
The second action was more symbolic. Every Jewish adult male had to pay the annual half shekel tithe to the Temple. Ananus decried that new coins would be struck, Jewish coins. These ceremonial coins crowed loudly to the world what the revolt had achieved and what it would intend. The Freedom of Zion had occurred. An anointed king, the messiah was now required. It was time for the Redemption of Zion.
Picture from Jewish Virtual Library
In the heady days after the miracle at beth-Horon, the newly united Jews were massed and prepared for battle. After an exhilarating month in the markets of Jerusalem, tallying up the booty gained, and praying for more divine providence, the 15th of Kislev approached. The upcoming holiday of Hanukah, had not been ordained by God in his holy scripture. It had been decreed by the Hasmonean kings when newly crowned monarchs, ostensibly to celebrate Sukkot two months late because the Temple had been desecrated when Sukkot had actually occurred that year. The Hasmoneans found the public display of lamps a useful gauge of who supported them and who didn’t. By the time of the revolt this messy detail had been forgotten. The Hasmonean era had morphed into a glorious century of Judean sovereignty.
The omnipresent burning reminders of the Hasmoneans prompted the first Jewish offensive. The town of Ashkelon was long rumored to be the birthplace of Herod, that destroyer of the Hasmonean dynasty. What more, the town had an ancient tradition of hostility to the Jews, stemming back from the days of the Judges. It this era, it remained obstinately pro-Roman. That had to change.