Josippon

When God had dispersed the sons of Adam over the earth, they divided into groups. The descendants of Kittim united and camped on the plain of Canpania (Campania) and dwelt there on the river Tiberio (Tiber). The descendants of Tubal camped in Toscana, and their border was the Tiber. They built a city for themselves and called it Sabini after the name of its founders. The Kittimites built a city for themselves and called it Foẓimagna.

The Children of Tubal boast over the children of Kittim, saying: "You shall not intermarry with us." When the Tubalites went to their fields during the harvest, the young men of the Kittim gathered and went to Sabini; they carried off their daughters and climbed up to Capo d'oglio. When the Tubalites heard of this, they went to fight against them but were unsuccessful for the mountain was too high for them, and all the young men had assembled on the mountain. The following year, the Tubalites came again to fight against them, and the Kittimite youth raised the children that their daughters of the Tubalites had borne them above the wall they had built and said: "Have you come to fight with your sons and daughters? Are we not henceforth of your bones and flesh?" And they ceased from war.

The Kittimites further increased and built a city on the sea and called its name Porto; they built another city and called its name Albano, and yet another and called its name Aritsa.

In those days Zepho ben Eliphaz, son of Esau, fled from Miẓrayim (Egypt). It is he whom Joseph had captured when he went to bury his father, Israel, in Hebron. The sons of Esau had tried to stop him. But Joseph defeated them and captured Zepho along with their best men of the sons of Esau and brought them to Egypt. After Joseph's death, Zepho fled from Egypt and came to Africa to Agneas (Aeneas), king of Kartagini (Carthage). Agneas received him with great honor and appointed him chief of his army.

In those days, there was in the land of Kittim in the city Foẓimagna a man called Uẓi; he had become a false god for the Kittimites. Uẓi died without a son, but he left one daughter, whose name was Yaniah, beautiful and very wise; her beauty was unmatched throughout the land. Agneas, king of Africa, asked for her in marriage. Turnus, king of Benevento, also asked for her. But the inhabitants of Foẓimagna told Turnus: "We cannot give her to you because Agneas king of Africa seeks her, and should he wage war against us, you could not save us from him." They sent a letter to Agneas saying this, and he mustered his armies and came to the island of Sardinia, for his brother Lukhus was there. Pallas, his brother's son, went out to greet him and said to him: "When you ask my father for an army to assist you, ask him to appoint me head of the army." Agneas did so, he came by ship to the port of Astura, and Turnus went out to confront him. A very great battle was waged in the valley of Canpania, in which his nephew Pallas fell. Agneas, his uncle, embalmed him and made him a golden golem and placed him inside. He waged another battle, captured Turnus, king of Benevento, and killed him. He made him a copper golem, put him inside, and built over it a tower at the crossroads. Also, for Pallas, his nephew, he built a tall tower over his grave on the crossroads and called it Torre Pallas. Both are on the crossroads between Albano and Roma with the pavement between them, Torre Pallas on one side and Loco Turnus on the other unto this day. Then Agneas took Yaniah to wife and returned to his land.

From that day hence, the Guandali (Vandals), the African king's troops, began to invade the land of Kittim to plunder and rob, and Zepho always came with them. Zepho ben Eliphaz fled from Africa and entered the land of Kittim. The Kittimites received him with great honor and gave him great gifts, which made him exceedingly rich. When the African hosts invaded the land of Kittim, the Kittimites assembled on Mount Capitolio out of fear of the Vandal hordes.

One day a bull of Zepho's herd went astray. Seeking the bull, he heard its bellowing in the vicinity near the mountain. Zepho went, and, behold, at the base of the mountain was a cave with a large rock at the mouth of the cave. He smashed the rock into pieces, and, behold, a huge creature was eating the bull. Its lower half was the image of a man and the upper half the image of a he-goat. Zepho leaped upon it and cut off its head. The Kittimites said: "What shall we do for this man who killed the creature that ate our cattle?" They agreed to make a festival for him one day each year and call that day after his name. They would pour libations before him on that day and bring him offerings. And it was so done. They called that day the Janus festival, and they called Zepho "Janus" from the name of the creature that he killed.

The Vandal hordes continued to invade the land of Kittim to plunder as ever. Janus went out to confront them; he smote them, causing them to flee, and saved the land from their oppression. The Kittimites assembled and made Zepho king over them. The Kittimites went forth to conquer the Tubalites and the nations around them, and Janus, their king, led them in conquest. They called Zepho by the name Janus after the creature and also Saturnus from the star that they worshiped in those days, that is, the star Shabbtai. He reigned first in the plain of Canpania in the land of Kittim and built a very large palace and reigned over all Kittim and over all the land of Italy. Janus Saturnus reigned for fifty-five years. He died and was buried in the city of Genova.

When Janus Saturnus died, Picus Faunus reigned after him for fifty years, and he too built a very huge palace in the plain of Canpania. When Picus Faunus died, Latinus reigned after him; he clarified the Latin language and its letters. He too built a palace for himself. He made many ships and went to war against Asdrubel (Hasdrubal), son of Agneas, whom Yaniah bore to him. He wished to take his daughter to wife by force just as Agneas had done to the Kittimites when he took Yaniah from them in war. Now Aspeciosa, Asdrubal's daughter, was very beautiful. Her contemporaries embroidered her figure on their clothing because of her great beauty. A great war occurred between Asdrubal, king of Carthage, and Latinus, king of Kittim. Latinus captured their aqueduct that Agneas had brought them when he took Yaniah to Carthage.

Yaniah had taken sick, and her illness was hard on Agneas and his magnates. Agneas said to his wise men: "How shall I heal Yaniah's sickness?" His sages replied: "The air of our land is not like the air of the land of Kittim, nor is our water like their water. The queen became ill because of the change in air and water, for in her land she only drank water brought from forma(e), which her ancestors brought on aqueducts." So Agneas commanded that they bring forma(e) water from Kittim in a vessel, and they tested that water with all the waters of Africa. They found the water of Gukar to be similar compared to them. Agneas commanded his magnates to collect hewers of stone by the thousands and myriads, and they cut stone without measure for building. The builders were very numerous and constructed a very huge aqueduct from the spring of water unto Carthage, and these waters suited Yaniah for her needs: to drink, to bake, to do laundry, to wash, and to rinse every seed she ate. They also brought soil from Kittim in many ships along with stones and bricks. And with these they built palaces for her. All this they did from their great love for her. They used her magic to foretell the future and acquired blessing through her, and she became a goddess for them. When Latinus fought with Asdrubal and destroyed part of the aqueduct, the Vandals were filled with zeal and spilled out their souls unto death; Asdrubal was killed in that battle. Then Latinus took Aspeciosa his daughter to be wife and brought her to Kittim. Latinus ruled mightily, and the years of his reign were forty-five.

When Latinus died, Aeneas ruled after him for three years. When Aeneas died, Ascanius (Ascianus) ruled after him thirty-eight years, and he too built a large palace. When Ascanius died, Silvius ruled after him twenty-nine years and built a large palace. When Silvius died, Latinus ruled after him for fifty years. He fought with Alemania and Burgonia, sons of Elisha, and placed them under corvée. When he returned, he built himself a temple, Luẓiferi, which is Nogah (= Venus), the morning star, and he closed the temple of Saturnus, i.e., Shabbtai, and he brought its priests in fire upon the altar of Luẓiferi. When Latinus died, Aeneas Troianus ruled after him thirty-six years. He too built a palace for his dwelling. When Aeneas Troianus died, Alba ruled after him thirty-nine years. When Alba died, Aviẓius (Aegyptus Silvius) ruled after him for twenty-four years and built a palace. When Aviẓius died, Capys ruled after him for twenty-eight years and built a palace. When Capys died, Carpento ruled after him for thirteen years and built a palace. When Carpento died, Tiberinus (Tiberius) ruled after him for eight years. When Tiberius died, Agrippa ruled after him for forty years and built a palace. When Agrippa died, Remulus ruled after him for nineteen years and built palaces. When Remulus died, Aventinus ruled after him for thirty-seven years. He fought against the sons of Riphat, who live on the river Lira (Loire), and against the sons of Turnus, who live in Turonia on the river Lire. These too had fled from Agneas king of Africa and built Turnus and Anbaza, Aventinus subdued them and built a large palace for his dwelling. When Aventinus died, Procas ruled after him for twenty-three years. When Procas died, Amulius ruled after him for forty-three years.

When Amulius died, Romulus ruled after him for thirty-eight years. In his days David smote Aram and Edom. Hadarezer and his sons fled and came to the land of Kittim. He gave them a site on the seashore and a place on the mountain. They built there a city and called her name Ẓorrento (Sorrento) after Ẓor, from the clan of Hadarezer, who fled David. They also built for themselves the city of Ancient Albano and dwelt there until this day. But a spring of oil welled up within the city Ẓorrento, and for many years the city sank and was covered by the sea; it is now between Napoli and New Ẓorrento. Nevertheless, this spring did not cease, for until now oil bubbles and floats atop the seawater, and the inhabitants of Napoli still collect it. Romulus had a great fear of David and built a wall around all the buildings of the kings who reigned before him. He placed all the temples and hills around the city within the wall, the circumference of which was forty-five miles, and he named the city Roma after his name, Romulus. They lived in great fear all the days of David. Romulus magnified the name of the Kittimites, who are called Romani from the name of the city unto this day. He built a giant temple to Jovis (Jupiter), which is the star Ẓedek (= Jupiter), making the fifth day a festival for Jovis, and he closed the temple of Luẓiferi. Romulus waged many wars, and there was a treaty between him and David.

When Romulus died, Ponpilius (Numa Pompilius) ruled after him for forty-one years. When Numa Pompilius died, Tulius Ostilius (Tullius Hostilius) ruled after him for thirty-two years. When Tullius Hostilius died, Acus (Ancus) Marẓius ruled after him for twenty-two years. When Ancus Marẓius died, Tarquinius Priscus ruled after him for thirty-seven years. When Tarquinius Priscus died, Servius ruled after him for thirty-four years. When Servius died, Tarquinius ruled after him for thirty-five years. This Tarquinius lusted after one of the women of Roma, but she was married so he took her by force. The woman was distressed and thrust a knife into her abdomen and died. Her brothers and her husband rose up and hid in ambush in the temple of Jovis. When Tarquinius came to worship in the temple of Jovis, the woman's brothers and her husband fell upon him suddenly with drawn swords and killed him. On that day, the Romans swore an oath that no king would rule over them in Roma. They chose from the elders of Roma an Elder and with him 320 counselors, appointing them to govern and direct their realm. The Elder governed with his 320 counselors, and they conquered the entire west.

After 205 years, great and terrible wars broke out between Babylon and Roma on land and sea because they aided Yavan (Greece) in her war when they rebelled against Babylon at that time. They diverted the Tiber and paved the bed of the river from gate to gate, from its entrance into the city of Roma until the exit gate and from the exit gate unto the sea, a distance of eighteen miles; all of this was paved with copper. And from the gate of Roma that exits to the sea unto the gate through which the water enters is six miles, for three parts of the city are across the river and the fourth part on this side of it, and the river runs in the middle of the city. The inhabitants of Roma paved the bed of the river, and no boats or ships went to the king of Babylon, for they feared and trembled when they heard that Nebuchadnezzar had captured Jerusalem. They sent him a gift through their emissaries, and he made a treaty after the war. So, the war quieted until the rule of Darius, when they were again aroused to go to war.