Josephus Flavius, an Author Who Got His Back into It
Late in the reign of Emperor Nero, the Bella Judaica raged across Galilee and Palestine. Nero, always short of cash, imposed one too many taxes on the people of Judea. They rebelled, chased the Roman garrison out of Jerusalem then invaded the coastal base of Caesarea. Led by the Zealots, they scored an incredible victory.
The Romans returned. In AD 67 they beseiged a town called Jotapata. The defenders fought hard, even capturing the eagle of the V Macedonia Legion, but the Roman commander, Vespatian, crushed Jotapata. In the rubble of the town they found Josephus, one of the leaders of the revolt. Josephus was one of a handful of survivors and Vespatian planned to honor him with a swift execution. But Josephus predicted the fall of Nero and told Vespatian he’d be emperor. Instead of being executed, Josephus took a slow boat to Italy and eventually wrote his book, The Jewish War ( Bella Judaica). A few years after Jotapata, the Temple of Solomon was destroyed by Titus, and finally, the seige of Masada ended a decade of strife.
He also wrote a history of the Jewish people called Jewish Antiquities from Creation to the decades after the death of Christ. His books survive to this day, providing a time line for events in the First Century.