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He fought the Romans in the First Jewish-Roman War of 66 – 73 as a Jewish military leader in Galilee.
Prior to this, in his early twenties, he traveled to negotiate with Emperor Nero for the release of several Jewish priests.
Upon his return to Jerusalem, he was drafted as a commander of the Galilean forces.
After the Jewish garrison of Yodfat fell under siege, the Romans invaded, killing thousands ; the survivors committed suicide.
According to Josephus, he was trapped in a cave with forty of his companions in July 67.
The Romans ( commanded by Flavius Vespasian and his son Titus, both subsequently Roman emperors ) asked the group to surrender, but they refused.
Josephus suggested a method of collective suicide: they drew lots and killed each other, one by one, counting to every third person.
The sole survivor of this process was Josephus ( this method as a mathematical problem is referred to as the Josephus problem, or Roman Roulette ), who surrendered to the Roman forces and became a prisoner.
In 69 Josephus was released.
According to his account, he acted as a negotiator with the defenders during the Siege of Jerusalem in 70, in which his parents and first wife died.

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