In
modern times, terrorism is a term not taken lightly. It has resulted
in maximum security and a highly guarded prison specifically for
terrorists in Guantanamo Bay. And terrorism is not new in society,
during the course of world history there have been a few famous
terrorist organisations, including the Boston Tea Party, Al Qaeda and
the IRA.
Over the years, the definition of terrorism has been distorted,
nevertheless the Oxford dictionary defines it as “The
unofficial or unauthorized use of violence and intimidation in the
pursuit of political aims”. This explains how we can trace
terrorism back to both the mid 20th
century, and before the USA's independence. It is, however,
indisputable that following the collapse of the Soviet Union a larger
focus has been aimed towards containing terrorism, particularly after
the horrifying events of 9/11.
This
all brings about a strongly debated question among historians –
where did terrorism originate? As terrorism is an ideology, it is
impossible to argue who created it, as there will always be unrest
among civilians – particularly those under cruel dictatorships. One
of the earliest recorded acts of terrorism takes us back to the
biblical times, known as The 'Great' Revolt Against Rome. The revolt
was partaken by Jewish people tired of the Roman rule in Judea, with
the most well known groups involved referred to as the 'Zealots' and
'Sicarii'.
The
name 'Sicarii' originates from 'dagger-men' in Latin which is self
explanatory as to how they operated. They would strategically hide
their daggers underneath their cloaks and use them to kill their
enemies at public gatherings. This helped them protect their identity
and carry out their activities as being found guilty for such crimes
would result in the death penalty. However some high profile
assassinations were undertook by the group - including Jonathon the
High Priest in 56 CE (10 years before the first Jewish-Roman war
broke out). The group was not unrecognised by the Roman rulers, and
some attacks resulted in a widespread massacre towards the Jewish
civilians. However they were also feared and negotiated with among
some, Jewish historian Flavius Josephus noted that Governor of the
Temple – Eleazar – traded 10 captured assassins for his
secretary.
A
common argument which is still disputed, is whether or not the
Sicarii are a branch of a wider terrorists organisation (the Zealots)
or were an original organisation with the same objective as those
involved in Zealotry. The main piece of evidence towards the Sicarii
potentially being an original group is shown by Josephus, as he
describes the Zealots and Sicarii as separate organisations. Although
it is unclear as to whether or not this is because his work was
specific to the Sicarii.
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| Josephus - A Jewish Historian as well as head of Jewish forces in Galilee |
Following
Greek merchants sacrificing of a bird in front of a Synagogue, the
Jewish freedom fighters retaliated, both against the Greeks whom they
had fierce tensions with but mainly the Roman rule – whose lack of
support in the matter provided a spark for a Zealot revolution. The
downfall of the Zealots was unfortunately their highest point. The
rebels seized Masada – a major Israeli fort – as well as the
successful murder of the high priest and capturing the Roman Garrison
at the Antonia Fortress. This led to false hopes circulating the
Zealots minds that they could defeat Rome, but the dire consequences
were soon unearthed as the Roman empire retaliated by sending in
60,000 troops who wiped out the rebels, with 100,000 Galileans being
killed or sold to slavery. The repercussions did not end there.
Despite Jewish leaders in Jerusalem offering no support to the
Zealots, the Roman's still had their eyes on destroying the historic
city. In the summer of 70, Roman troops breached the walls of
Jerusalem, desecrating the second temple whilst showing no mercy to
the civilians, heavily contributing to the death count of Jewish
people during the 7 years of war being around one million.
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| Arch Of Titus - Showing the victorious Roman soldiers taking their Jewish Slaves |
The
defeat of the Jewish people was inevitable and one victory seemed to
make them over-confident of their chances. The next two years saw the
Romans swipe through the last couple of Jewish strongholds, including
Masada in Judea. After all this – two questions can be asked: Were
the Zealots the original terrorists? And should they have left the
Roman rulers alone? After all the death tally counts to one of the
largest Jewish bloodbaths in history.
Deciding
whether or not they should have left the Romans alone is tricky. The
Jewish people were used to suppression, despite believing that Israel
was the holy land – which God had intended for the Jews to live in.
Therefore there were clearly traditional values which were in place,
along with the disrespect of both the Greeks and the Romans going a
step too far. However the results were horrific and totally
avoidable, although it seemed like war would inevitably break out
between the two at some point.
As
to whether the Zealots were terrorists, it is clear there are two
sides to the argument. The Sicarii were clearly a terrorist
organisation, with their methods clearly fulfilling the definition
mentioned earlier on. It's hard to argue against the Zealots being
terrorists as well – especially if you consider the Sicarii to be
part of them. Yet it can also be argued that terrorism has changed
over the years, and now is used mainly to cause mass hysteria –
particularly with the media dominating our every day lives. Despite
this, it doesn't change the meaning of the word, and the Zealots
objectives were clearly political, making them arguably one of the
first recorded terrorists groups.
