In this episode, Cameron and Ray continue their exploration of Tacitus’ account of the Jews and the Dead Sea. They riff on bitumen bubbling up from the “Asphalt Lake,” how vinegar and menstrual blood supposedly affect it, and why the ancients found this both useful and bizarre. The conversation drifts through Roman building materials, paradoxographical stories, Salt Lake City smells, the destruction of cities around the Dead Sea, Sodom and Gomorrah legends, and Tacitus’ blend of skepticism and superstition. The back half of the discussion dives into Jewish history under Hellenistic, Maccabean, and Roman rule, the destruction of the Second Temple, Tacitus’ sources and biases, and the survival of Judaism thanks to “the book.” Along the way, there are musical detours, Trump-and-tanks-in-DC anecdotes, and irreverent takes on gods, genocide, and history’s ability to spin a narrative.
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