revolt from the Romans; yet did not Gamala accede to them, but
relied upon the difficulty of the place, which was greater than
that of Jotapata, for it was situated upon a rough ridge of a
high mountain, with a kind of neck in the middle: where it begins
to ascend, it lengthens itself, and declines as much downward
before as behind, insomuch that it is like a camel in figure,
from whence it is so named, although the people of the
country do not pronounce it accurately. Both on the side and
the face there are abrupt parts divided from the rest, and ending
in vast deep valleys; yet are the parts behind, where they are
joined to the mountain, somewhat easier of ascent than the other;
but then the people belonging to the place have cut an oblique
ditch there, and made that hard to be ascended also. On its
acclivity, which is straight, houses are built, and those very
thick and close to one another. The city also hangs so strangely,
that it looks as if it would fall down upon itself, so sharp is
it at the top. It is exposed to the south, and its southern
mount, which reaches to an immense height, was in the nature of a
citadel to the city; and above that was a precipice, not walled
about, but extending itself to an immense depth. There was also a
spring of water within the wall, at the utmost limits of the
city.

2. As this city was naturally hard to be taken, so had
Josephus, by building a wall about it, made it still stronger,
as also by ditches and mines under ground. The people that
were in it were made more bold by the nature of the place than
the people of Jotapata had been, but it had much fewer fighting
men in it; and they had such a confidence in the situation of the
place, that they thought the enemy could not be too many for