Antony and Cleopatra
After making peace with Octavian, Antony moved east bringing his new wife Octavia with him. She tried hard to keep the pleasure loving Antony on a straight course and for a while she succeeded. But whilst [39] Herod was finally securing his throne in Jerusalem a new conflict flared [40] up between Antony and Octavian. Octavia managed to bring the two men together again but it seems to have entirely destroyed Antony's affection [41] for her. Octavia's sober life had begun to bore him and his thoughts drifted back to Egypt and Cleopatra. He had not seen her for nearly four years. Octavia was expecting a child so Antony sent her back to Rome. He then summoned Cleopatra to Antioch[42] in Syria and married her. Octavian was furious at the insult to himself and his family.
The marriage was also a terrible blow to Herod [43]. He knew that Cleopatra wished to rebuild the empire of her fathers and that that empire had included Judea. He re-fortified Masada [44], and built palaces on the rock as a retreat for himself and his family in the event of an Egyptian invasion. Great cisterns were hewn [45] out of the rock to collect the rain water so that it would be possible to hold out for years.
But although Antony was deeply in love he refused to give in [46] to Cleopatra's wilder demands. The very fertile [47] oasis of Jericho with its rich harvest of dates and Balsam [48] was taken from Herod and given to the queen; insult was added to injury when she allowed Herod to rent it back from her. Other small sections of his lands were given to Cleopatra, but Herod managed to hold on to the bulk of his kingdom.
Herod had established his authority over the realm but in his home he was less successful. From the very beginning of his reign, domestic problems plagued him. With Antigonus dead it was necessary to nominate a new high priest. It had been customary under the Hasmonaeans for the king to be high priest as well but Herod's origins made this impossible. Hyrcanus had been released by the Parthians and Herod welcomed him back to Judea treating him with great honour. But Hycranus could never be high priest again. Antigonus had seen to that when he had 'bitten' off his ears. Herod would not place another Hasmonaean in the position for this would pose a constant threat to himself. So he looked around for a candidate of impeccable background but not of Hasmonaean descent. The man selected was Hananel a priest from the Jews at Babylon.
[1] subdue [səb'djuː] – подчинять, покорять, подавлять (физически)
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[2] guerrilla [gə'rɪlə] – партизан
[3] refuge ['refjuːʤ] – убежище; прибежище
[4] sheer [ʃɪə] – вертикальный, перпендикулярный; отвесный
[5] cliff [klɪf] – крутой склон, откос; утёс
[6] to come to grips = to get to grips – схватиться, вступить в борьбу, конфликт (с кем-л.)
[7] grappling – a device with iron claws, attached to a rope and used for dragging or grasping
[8] dislodge [dɪs'lɔʤ] – перемещать, передвигать, смещать; удалять, вытеснять
[9] remainder [rɪ'meɪndə] – остаток; остатки, оставшаяся часть
[10] suppress [sə'pres] – пресекать; сдерживать, подавлять (сопротивление)
[11] rebellion [rɪ'belɪən] – восстание; бунт, мятеж
[12] ruthlessly ['ruːθləslɪ] – безжалостный, беспощадный, жестокий
[13] slaughter ['slɔːtə] – устраивать резню, кровопролитие; совершать массовое убийство
[14] plunder ['plʌndə] – разграблять, разорять, опустошать (особенно на войне)
[15] legion ['liːʤən] – легион (основная организационная и тактическая единица в армии Древнего Рима)
[16] Sosius
[17] butcher ['buʧə] – безжалостно убивать
[18] Miriam ['mɪrɪəm]
[19] engage [ɪn'geɪʤ], [en-] – заниматься чем-л., быть занятым чем-л.
[20] collapse [kə'læps] – разрушаться, обваливаться, оседать
[21] undermine [ˌʌndə'maɪn] – делать подкоп, подкапывать; минировать; взрывать, подрывать
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[22] ram [ræm] – таран, стенобитное орудие
[23] massacre ['mæsəkə] – резня; бойня, избиение
[24] no avail — бесполезный
[25] excess [ɪk'ses], [ek-] – чрезмерность, неумеренность; невоздержанность, излишества
[26] assault [ə'sɔːlt] – атака, приступ, штурм
[27] spare [spɛə] – щадить; избавлять (от чего-л.)
[28] desecration [ˌdesɪ'kreɪʃ(ə)n] – осквернение; надругательство над святыней; профанация, опошление
[29] beg [beg] – просить, умолять
[30] honeycombed – ячеистый, сотовидный; пористый
[31] mail – кольчуга
[32] Sanhedrin ['sanɪdrɪn, san'hiːdrɪn, san'hɛdrɪn] – the highest court of justice and the supreme council in ancient Jerusalem
[33] capital offence – преступление, караемое смертной казнью
[34] revenge [rɪ'venʤ] – месть, мщение, отмщение
[35] Saducees
[36] Jericho ['ʤerɪkəu] – Иерихон (древний город в Палестине; согласно библейскому повествованию, стены Иерихона рухнули от звуков израильских труб, и город был предан проклятию за своё нечестие)
[37] notorious [nəu'tɔːrɪəs] – пользующийся дурной славой; печально известный; пресловутый; отъявленный
[38] Masada [mə'sɑːdə] – the site of the ruins of a palace and fortification built by Herod the Great on the SW shore of the Dead Sea in the 1st century BC. It was a Jewish stronghold in the Zealots' revolt against the Romans (AD 66-73) and was the scene in AD 73 of mass suicide by the Jewish defenders when the Romans breached the citadel after a siege of nearly two years
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[39] whilst [waɪlst] – пока
[40] flare [flɛə] – гореть ярким, неровным пламенем; ярко вспыхивать
[41] affection [ə'fekʃ(ə)n] – любовь, чувство близости, привязанность
[42] Antioch ['antɪɒk] – the ancient capital of Syria under the Seleucid kings, who founded it c.300 BC
[43] Herod ['herəd]
[44] Masada [mə'sɑːdə] – the site of the ruins of a palace and fortification built by Herod the Great on the SW shore of the Dead Sea in the 1st century BC. It was a Jewish stronghold in the Zealots' revolt against the Romans (AD 66-73) and was the scene in AD 73 of mass suicide by the Jewish defenders when the Romans breached the citadel after a siege of nearly two years
[45] hewn out – вырабатывать с трудом
[46] give in – уступать, сдаваться; соглашаться
[47] fertile ['fɜːtaɪl] – плодородный; изобилующий, богатый
[48] balsam ['bɔːlsəm] – бальзам (ароматическое смолистое вещество, получаемое из различных растений)
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