The inevitable disaster
Herod's troubles with his family were only just beginning. When he arrived back from his visit to Antony his sister Salome accused [28] her husband Joseph of adultery [29] with Miriam. Herod ever a jealous [30] lover, in his rage had Joseph executed, but his passion for his beautiful wife was so great that he could not bear to condemn [31] her. From this moment a bitter feud [32] developed between Miriam and Salome. Each was backed up by her mother. Their continuous feud was to make Herod's life complete misery.
Meanwhile the Roman world was again heading for upheaval[33]. Relations between Antony and Octavian had been growing steadily worse. Cleopatra's influence over Antony was resented [34] at Rome where Octavia, his long-suffering wife, was greatly loved. Amidst increasing hostility [35] Antony started to mobilise his forces. He and Cleopatra moved to Ephesus on the eastern side of the Aegean Sea in the autumn of 33 вс, and began massing their troops[36]. Herod warned Antony against Cleopatra. He could not believe that Antony's legions would fight for Cleopatra against their own countrymen. Herod's advice was simple and ruthless: 'Kill her and annexe Egypt.'
The following spring Antony's troops moved into Greece. Here he made his final commitment [37] to Cleopatra and his worst mistake. He divorced Octavia and had her thrown out of his house in Rome. Rumour that he intended to transfer the capital of the empire from Rome to Alexandria just added fuel to the fire. His troops, officers and men, began to desert him. In the winter of 32/31 ВС Rome declared war – not on Antony but on 'the eastern harlot'.
The two sides came into conflict the following summer. In the face of continued desertions Antony decided on a naval battle at Actium[38]. At the height of the battle, seeing victory slipping from her grasp. Cleopatra raised her sails and fled back to Egypt. Antony followed. Here, deserted by his forces, he stabbed himself and died in his lover's arms. Cleopatra tried to bargain [39] with Octavian, offering her own life for the children she had borne [40] Antony. In the end she too committed suicide. The only person to come out of this story untarnished [41] is Octavia. She adopted the children Antony had by Cleopatra and brought them up as her own.
Other palaces at Masada
The Hanging Palace is not the only royal accommodation on Masada. There was also a far larger palace in the centre of the west side and three other buildings which might be described as palaces. These smaller buildings might have been for Herod's own family and his wife's family who hated each other so much that they had to be kept separate.
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[1] ally ['ælaɪ] – друг, союзник, сторонник
[2] summit ['sʌmɪt] – вершина
[3] bide [baɪd] – ждать, выжидать
[4] officiate [ə'fɪʃɪeɪt] – исполнять обязанности; совершать богослужение; руководить церемонией
[5] regal ['riːg(ə)l] – королевский, царский; величественный, царственный
[6] mumble ['mʌmbl] – бормотать, бурчать
[7] encourage [ɪn'kʌrɪʤ], [en-] – ободрять; поощрять, поддерживать (в чём-л.)
[8] for a stroll – пойти прогуляться
[9] romp [rɔmp] – возиться, шумно и весело играть
[10] duck [dʌk] – нырять
[11] be appalled [ə'pɔːld] – ужаснуться чему-л., быть шокированным чем-л.
[12] trepidation [ˌtrepɪ'deɪʃ(ə)n] – трепет, дрожь; дрожание
[13] predicament [prɪ'dɪkəmənt] – затруднительное положение; затруднение
[14] impregnable [ɪm'pregnəbl] – неприступный; недоступный, неуязвимый
[15] fortress ['fɔːtrəs] – крепость
[16] precipitous [prɪ'sɪpɪtəs] – крутой; обрывистый; отвесный
[17] hem [hem] – рубец (на платке и т. п.); подогнутый и подшитый край одежды; ободок, кайма; край, кромка
[18] tortuous ['tɔːʧuəs], [-tju-] – извилистый; неискренний, непрямой, нечестный
[19] in single file – в колонну по одному, гуськом
[20] casemate ['keɪsmeɪt] – a small room in the wall of a fortress, with openings from which guns or missiles could be fired; an armoured enclosure for guns on a warship
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[21] siege [siːʤ] – осада
[22] ravine [rə'viːn] – ущелье; лощина, овраг, ложбина; дефиле
[23] aqueduct ['ækwɪdʌkt] – акведук, водопровод
[24] valley ['vælɪ] – долина
[25] dam [dæm] – дамба, плотина, насыпь; запруда
[26] staircase ['stɛəkeɪs] – лестница, ряд ступеней; пролёт лестницы; лестничный марш
[27] intact [ɪn'tækt] – нетронутый; незатронутый, неповреждённый, невредимый, целый
[28] accuse [ə'kjuːz] – винить, обвинять, упрекать
[29] adultery [ə'dʌltərɪ] – адюльтер, нарушение супружеской верности, прелюбодеяние
[30] jealous ['ʤeləs] – ревнивый; ревнующий
[31] condemn [kən'dem] – осуждать, порицать
[32] feud [fjuːd] – длительная, часто наследственная, вражда; междоусобица
[33] upheaval [ʌp'hiːv(ə)l] – подъём; переворот; бунт, беспорядки
[34] resent [rɪ'zent] – негодовать, возмущаться; обижаться
[35] hostility [hɔs'tɪlətɪ] – враждебность
[36] troops [truːps] – войска, армия, вооружённые силы
[37] commitment [kə'mɪtmənt] – обязанность, долг; приверженность, выбор, ориентация, линия, политика
[38] Actium, Battle of ['aktɪəm] – a naval battle which took place in 31 BC off the promontory of Actium in western Greece, in the course of which Octavian defeated Mark Antony
[39] bargain ['bɑːgɪn] – выгодная покупка; дёшево купленная вещь; соглашение, договорённость; торговая сделка
[40] bear – bore – borne [bɛə] – носить, нести; переносить
[41] untarnished – not spoiled or damaged
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