I'm planning a story for an alt-history/historical fantasy anthology about an alternate Rome, and was considering setting it in an equivalent of the Maccabean Revolt. Problem is, little related to Jewish tactics and equipment in this era is coming up. I know how key guerilla tactics were in the early stages of the revolt, and what has come up suggests the Jews adopted the phalanx and tactical systems of the Diadochi after Judah Maccabee's death, but I can't find anything on how closely they copied them. I also haven't found anything related to arms or armor either. If Greek influence weren't significantly weaker in this alternate world, I'd go with that, but it doesn't fit the scenario very well. In summary, anything related to the military of Hasmonean Israel, the Herodian military, and weapons and armor of Jewish forces from the Maccabean Revolt, Great Jewish Revolt, the Kitos War, or the Bar Kokhba Revolt would be immensely helpful.
Finally found some decent sources in the Osprey books, so the need is no longer very pressing. But if anyone knows about anything else that's relevant, feel free to post it.
In terms of weapons rebel forces usually use those captured from the side they are fighting, so I'd expect them to be armed with either short gladius or longer spatha swords, sheilds, and spears/javellin on the roman pattern
I figured as much for the more irregular forces. Unfortunately, that won't fit well with the scenario. Within the alternate setting, the Jews are more or less a client state to Egypt before the revolt (an Egypt that has no Greek influence, since Greece and Persia were destroyed in a cataclysm around the time of the Greco-Persian Wars), so it makes sense for them to have their own forces in their own style. Problem is, I haven't found much that's distinctly Jewish. Just this one illustration, and I can't confirm if the armor of the figure in the foreground is real, or just a bit of artistic license: Those sources I have scrounged up confirm the heavy Greek influence on the Hasmonean and Herodian army, so I'll probably just go with it being the influence of Greek refugees, while the irregulars use fairly basic weapons and whatever can be scavenged from the Egyptians.
This is a good resource for Hellenistic era military history. Look under the Seleucids. (Although if we're conjecturing a world without Hellenistic influence, I imagine Jews would have just emulated surrounding Mediterranean peoples. Greek-style armies were common during this time because of their unrivaled success on the battlefield, but first they'd have had to actually prove that success.)
