91ֱƵCenter for Global Humanities presents 'The Jewish Revolt Against Rome'

Roman inscriptions
The Center for Global Humanities will present “The Jewish Revolt Against Rome” on Monday, March 27 at 6 p.m.

The Jewish revolt against the Roman Empire that began in 66 C.E. and culminated in the sacking of Jerusalem and destruction of its famed Temple was a turning point in the story of the Jewish people, one that altered the course of history and continues to have reverberating implications today.

This is the argument scholar Guy Rogers will make when he visits the 91ֱƵ Center for Global Humanities to present a lecture titled “The Jewish Revolt Against Rome” on Monday, March 27 at 6 p.m. at the WCHP Lecture Hall in Parker Pavilion on the 91ֱƵPortland Campus.

Rogers studied classics and ancient history at the University of Pennsylvania and University College of London before receiving his Ph.D. in classics from Princeton University. Since then, his distinguished academic career has been spent almost entirely at Wellesley College, where he has taught ancient history since 1985. Rogers has won many awards and recognitions for his scholarship, including the Perennial Wisdom Medal of the Monuments Conservancy of New York City. His most recent book, “For the Freedom of Zion: The Great Revolt of Jews Against Romans, 66-74 CE,” was published by Yale University Press in 2022.

In opposition to much of the recent scholarship produced in his field, Rogers will argue in his lecture at 91ֱƵthat the war between the Jews and Romans was not short, its outcome was not inevitable, and that while the Romans won the war of weapons, the Jews have won the longer peace of words. Ultimately, Rogers will make the case that more people alive today are invested in the meaning of the Temple’s destruction than any other event in ancient history.

This third lecture of the Spring 2023 season for the Center for Global Humanities will be followed by a final spring lecture in April. Lectures at the Center are always free, open to the public, and streamed live online. For more information and to watch the event, please visit: /events/2023/jewish-revolt-against-rome