Thread by @nonregemesse

Today in AD 70,

The Roman siege of Jerusalem ended with the sack of the city and destruction the Second Temple.

Calamity and slaughter followed.

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The roots of the revolt lay in the deadly mix of religious tension between polytheistic Romans & monotheistic Jews, and as discontent over the oppressive rule of the governors of Judea which caused anti-taxation protests which turned into riots which were violently crushed

The Roman governor arrested several leading Jewish figures and seized money from the Second Temple, the most important temple in the Jewish world, built around 516 BC to replace Solomon’s Temple.

This caused outrage amongst the Jews and led to widespread rebellion.

The Roman garrison was captured and the governor and other leading figures escaped.

The governor of Syria, Cestius Gallus took the XII legion & auxiliaries into Judea to crush the rebellion but the force was massacred at the Battle of Beth Horon in AD 66 with 6000 Romans dead

A provisional government was formed with the Jewish military led by Flavius Josephus, an important historical source for the conflict

The emperor Nero ordered Vespasian to invade with four legions in AD 67. After a few months he had already taken Galilee, Jodapatha and Tarichaea.

There were several factions among the Jewish rebels. Two of which were the Zealots and Sadducees. After the loss of Galilee thousands of Zealots and other Jews fled to Jerusalem where they came into conflict with the Sadducees.

In AD 69 Vespasian became emperor and left for Rome.

He left his son Titus to besiege Jerusalem.

During the seven month siege, infighting between the Zealots and Sedducees resulted in the city’s food supply being burned. Leaving the defenders with no real hope of victory.

In July of AD 70, after a brutal seven month siege, the Romans breached the walls and poured into the city.

All of the defenders died. Josephus wrote of great number of deaths that the Romans enslaved 97,000.

Titus was initially moderate in attacking the city. He decided that the 500 year old temple would be spared. Josephus writes that it was Jews who first used fire to halt the Roman progress through the city and only then did the Romans themselves burn the city.

Josephus, who was far from impartial, wrote:

The Jews were killed or enslaved.

The city was looted.

A few strongholds remained but those were soon crushed too.

Titus was granted a triumph in Rom for his victory and became emperor nine years later.

Today his victory arch still stands in Rome, greeting all visitors to the Forum with a scene from the looting of Jerusalem