Steve
Executioner
As part of my personal celebration of the 20th Anniversary of my PETRA series, I knew I had to do crux illustrations (obviously!). I committed to do something new and was inspired by @mp5stab ’s great thread and @Livia Crux Dove ’s intriguing fantasy. Here are a few illustrations from FALL OF THE TEMPLE. I’ll do more if there is interest.
The story -
It is 70 CE. General Titus and his Roman forces have breached the third and second walls of Jerusalem and launched their final assault on the Second Temple. The Antonia Fortress is the last line of defense for the Zealots guarding the Temple.
To buy the Zealots more time to mount a counter-offensive, a rebel commander named Leah bat Rafael and her small band of rebels launch a daring nighttime sortie on the unsuspecting Roman forces. They sabotage siege weaponry and engineering equipment, and kill many legionaries before they meet their end.
Leah is the rebel saboteurs’ sole survivor. Realizing that the Zealots need even more time, she surrenders to preoccupy the Romans until the morning. She is interrogated, ravaged, scourged, and crucified.
The sacrifice of Leah and her small band of rebels is not in vain. As she hangs on the cross, the Zealots have completed underground tunnels and set fire to the siege ramps along the walls of the Antonia Fortress, ultimately causing them to collapse.
The story -
It is 70 CE. General Titus and his Roman forces have breached the third and second walls of Jerusalem and launched their final assault on the Second Temple. The Antonia Fortress is the last line of defense for the Zealots guarding the Temple.
To buy the Zealots more time to mount a counter-offensive, a rebel commander named Leah bat Rafael and her small band of rebels launch a daring nighttime sortie on the unsuspecting Roman forces. They sabotage siege weaponry and engineering equipment, and kill many legionaries before they meet their end.
Leah is the rebel saboteurs’ sole survivor. Realizing that the Zealots need even more time, she surrenders to preoccupy the Romans until the morning. She is interrogated, ravaged, scourged, and crucified.
The sacrifice of Leah and her small band of rebels is not in vain. As she hangs on the cross, the Zealots have completed underground tunnels and set fire to the siege ramps along the walls of the Antonia Fortress, ultimately causing them to collapse.
