First Jewish–Roman War

The Great Jewish Revolt ( 66 – 73 CE), sometimes called The first Jewish-Roman War , was the first of two major rebellions by the Jews of Judea against the Roman Empire (the second was Bar Kokhba's revolt in 132 - 135 ). It began in 66 , sparked by religious violence between the Jews and the Hellenists ; it ended when legions under Titus besieged and destroyed Jerusalem , looted and burned the Second Temple ( 70 ) and Jewish strongholds (notably Masada in 73 ), and enslaved or massacred a large part of the Jewish population. The defeat of the Jewish revolts against the Roman Empire notably contributed to the numbers and geography of the Jewish Diaspora , as many Jews were scattered after losing their state or were sold to slavery throughout the empire.

The first Jewish-Roman War (66–70 CE), sometimes called The Great Revolt ( , ha-Mered Ha-Gadol ), was the first of three major rebellions by the Jews of the Iudaea Province (Judea Province), against the Roman Empire (the second was the Kitos War in 115–117 CE; the third was Bar Kokhba's revolt of 132–135 CE). It began in the year 66 CE initially because of Greek and Jewish religious tensions, but later grew with anti-taxation protests and attacks upon Roman citizens. It ended when legions under Titus besieged and destroyed the centre of rebel resistance in Jerusalem , and defeated the remaining Jewish strongholds.

The Great Revolt began in the year 66 CE, during the twelfth year of the reign of Nero , originating in Roman and Jewish religious tensions . The crisis escalated due to anti-taxation protests and attacks upon Roman citizens by the Jews. The Roman governor, Gessius Florus , responded by plundering the Second Temple , claiming the money was for the Emperor, and the next day launching a raid on the city, arresting numerous senior Jewish figures. This prompted a wider, large-scale rebellion and the Roman military garrison of Judaea was quickly overrun by the rebels, while the pro-Roman king Herod Agrippa II , together with Roman officials, fled Jerusalem . As it became clear the rebellion was getting out of control, Cestius Gallus , the legate of Syria , brought in the Syrian army, based on Legion XII Fulminata and reinforced by auxiliary troops, to restore order and quell the revolt. Despite initial advances and the conquest of Jaffa , the Syrian Legion was ambushed and defeated by Jewish rebels at the Battle of Beth Horon with 6,000 Romans massacred and the Legion's aquila lost. During 66, the Judean provisional government was formed in Jerusalem including former High Priest Ananus ben Ananus , Joseph ben Gurion and Joshua ben Gamla elected as leaders. Yosef ben Matityahu ( Josephus ) was appointed the rebel commander in Galilee and Eleazar ben Hanania as the commander in Edom . Later, in Jerusalem, an attempt by Menahem ben Yehuda , leader of the Sicarii , to take control of the city failed. He was executed and the remaining Sicarii were ejected from the city. Simon bar Giora , a peasant leader, was also expelled by the new government. The experienced and unassuming general Vespasian was given the task, by Nero, of crushing the rebellion in Judaea province. Vespasian's son Titus was appointed as second-in-command. Given four legions and assisted by forces of King Agrippa II, Vespasian invaded Galilee in 67 . Avoiding a direct attack on the reinforced city of Jerusalem, which was defended by the main rebel force, the Romans launched a persistent campaign to eradicate rebel strongholds and punish the population. Within several months Vespasian and Titus took over the major Jewish strongholds of Galilee and finally overran Jodapatha , which was under the command of Yosef ben Matityahu, as well as subdued Tarichaea , which brought an end to the war in Galilee. Driven from Galilee, Zealot rebels and thousands of refugees arrived in Jerusalem, creating political turmoil. Confrontation between the mainly Sadducee Jerusalemites and the mainly Zealot factions of the Northern Revolt under the command of John of Giscala and Eleazar ben Simon , erupted into bloody violence. With Idumeans entering the city and fighting by the side of the Zealots, the former high priest, Ananus ben Ananus, was killed and his faction suffered severe casualties. Simon bar Giora, commanding 15,000 militiamen, was then invited into Jerusalem by the Sadducee leaders to stand against the Zealots, and quickly took control over much of the city. Bitter infighting between factions of Simon, John and Eleazar followed through the year 69. After a lull in the military operations, owing to civil war and political turmoil in Rome , Vespasian was called to Rome and appointed as Emperor in 69. With Vespasian's departure, Titus moved to besiege the center of rebel resistance in Jerusalem in early 70. The first two walls of Jerusalem were breached within three weeks, but a stubborn rebel standoff prevented the Roman Army from breaking the third and thickest wall. Following a brutal seven-month siege, during which Zealot infighting resulted in the burning of the entire food supplies of the city, the Romans finally succeeded in breaching the defenses of the weakened Jewish forces in the summer of 70. Following the fall of Jerusalem, in the year 71 Titus left for Rome, leaving Legion X Fretensis to defeat the remaining Jewish strongholds including Herodium and Machaerus , finalizing the Roman campaign in Masada in 73–74. As the Second Temple in Jerusalem was destroyed, one of the events commemorated on Tisha B'Av , Judaism fell into crisis with the Sadducee movement falling into obscurity. However, one of the Pharisaic sages Rabbi Yohanan ben Zakkai was smuggled away from Jerusalem in a coffin by his students during the Titus siege. The rabbi obtained permission to establish a Judaic school at Yavne , which became a major center of Talmudic study . This became the crucial mark in the development of Rabbinic Judaism , which would allow Jews to continue their culture and religion without the Temple and essentially even in the diaspora. The defeat of the Jewish revolt altered Jewish demographics, as many of the Jewish rebels were scattered or sold into slavery . The demolition of the Temple, Jerusalem, and the farming lifestyle of the economy and land of Israel did not stop the Jews from succeeding in Judea. After a few generations of existing within the Roman systems, the Jewish–Roman tensions resulted in the Bar Kokhba revolt in 132–136 CE. Josephus , De Bello Judaico ( Wars of the Jews ), book iv, chapter i, § 1

White estimates the combined death toll for the First and Third Roman Jewish Wars as being approximately 350,000. The First Jewish–Roman War (66–74 CE ), sometimes called the Great Jewish Revolt ( ha-Mered Ha-Gadol ), or The Jewish War , was the first of three major rebellions by the Jews against the Roman Empire fought in Roman-controlled Judea , resulting in the destruction of Jewish towns, the displacement of its people and the appropriation of land for Roman military use, as well as the destruction of the Jewish Temple and polity. The revolt began in 66 CE, during the twelfth year of the reign of Nero , originating in the oppressive rule of Roman governors , the widening gaps between the wealthy aristocracy and the downtrodden masses, and Roman and Jewish religious tensions . The crisis escalated due to anti-taxation protests and clashes between Jews and pagans in mixed cities. The Roman governor, Gessius Florus , seized money from the Second Temple 's treasury and arrested numerous senior Jewish figures. This prompted widespread rebellion in Jerusalem that culminated in the capture of the Roman garrison by rebel forces as the pro-Roman king Herod Agrippa II and Roman officials fled. To quell the unrest, Cestius Gallus , the legate of Syria , brought in the Syrian army, consisting of the Legion XII Fulminata and auxiliary troops. Despite initial advances and the conquest of Jaffa , the Syrian Legion was ambushed and defeated by Jewish rebels at the Battle of Beth Horon with 6,000 Romans massacred and the Legion's aquila lost. In 66, a Judean provisional government was formed in Jerusalem led by former High Priest Ananus ben Ananus , Joseph ben Gurion and Joshua ben Gamla . Yosef ben Matityahu ( Josephus ) was appointed as the rebel commander in Galilee and Eleazar ben Hanania as the commander in Edom . Later, in Jerusalem, an attempt by Menahem ben Yehuda , leader of the Sicarii , to take control of the city failed. He was executed and the remaining Sicarii were ejected from the city. Simon bar Giora , a peasant leader, was also expelled by the new government. The Roman general Vespasian was given four legions and tasked by Nero with crushing the rebellion. Assisted by forces of King Agrippa II, Vespasian invaded Galilee in 67 , and within several months had claimed the major Jewish strongholds of Galilee, Jodapatha and Tarichaea . Driven from Galilee, Zealot rebels and thousands of refugees arrived in Jerusalem, creating tensions between the mainly Sadducee Jerusalemites and the Zealot rebel factions that soon erupted into bitter infighting. In 69, Vespasian was called to Rome and appointed emperor, leaving Titus to besiege Jerusalem in 70 CE . Following a brutal seven-month siege, during which Zealot infighting resulted in the burning of the entire food supplies of the city, the Romans finally succeeded in breaching the defenses in the summer of 70. Following the fall of Jerusalem, Titus departed for Rome, leaving the Legion X Fretensis to defeat the remaining Jewish strongholds, including Herodium and Machaerus . The Roman campaign ended with their success at the siege of Masada in 72–74. The Roman suppression of the revolt had a significant impact on the local population, with many rebels perishing in battle, displaced, or being sold into slavery. The temple of Jerusalem and much of the city was destroyed by fire and the Jewish community was thrown into turmoil by the devastation of its political and religious leadership. (2017). 1001 Battles That Changed the Course of History . Josephus , De Bello Judaico ( Wars of the Jews ), book iv, chapter i, § 1

According to modern analysis, a significant part of Judaea's population died, possibly one-quarter. Josephus's figure of 97,000 enslaved individuals is accepted by multiple scholars. The First Jewish–Roman War (66–74 CE), also known as the Great Jewish Revolt , the First Jewish Revolt , the War of Destruction , or the Jewish War , was the first of three major Jewish rebellions against the Roman Empire . Fought in the province of Judaea , it resulted in the destruction of Jerusalem and the Jewish Temple , mass displacement, land appropriation, and the dissolution of the Jewish polity. Judaea, once independent under the Hasmoneans , fell to Rome in the first century BCE. Initially a client kingdom , it later became a directly ruled province , marked by the rule of oppressive governors, socioeconomic divides, nationalist aspirations, and rising religious and ethnic tensions. In 66 CE, under Nero , unrest flared when a local Greek sacrificed a bird at the entrance of a Caesarea synagogue. Tensions escalated as Governor Gessius Florus looted the temple treasury and massacred Jerusalem's residents, sparking an uprising in which rebels killed the Roman garrison while pro-Roman officials fled. To quell the unrest, Cestius Gallus , the governor of Syria , invaded Judaea but was defeated at Bethoron and a provisional government , led by Ananus ben Ananus , was established in Jerusalem. In 67 CE, commander Vespasian was sent to suppress the revolt, invading the Galilee and capturing Yodfat , Tarichaea , and Gamla . As rebels and refugees fled to Jerusalem, the government was overthrown, leading to infighting between Eleazar ben Simon , John of Gischala and Simon bar Giora . After Vespasian subdued most of the province, Nero's death prompted him to depart for Rome to claim the throne . His son Titus led the siege of Jerusalem , which fell in the summer of 70 CE, resulting in the Temple's destruction and the city's razing. In 71, they celebrated a triumph in Rome, and Legio X Fretensis remained in Judaea to suppress the last pockets of resistance, culminating in the fall of Masada in 73/74 CE. The war had profound consequences for the Jewish people, with many killed, displaced, or sold into slavery. The sages emerged as leading figures and established a rabbinic center in Yavneh , marking a key moment in the development of Rabbinic Judaism as it adapted to the post-Temple reality. These events in Jewish history signify the transition from the Second Temple period to the Rabbinic period . The victory also strengthened the new Flavian dynasty , which commemorated it through monumental constructions and coinage , imposed a punitive tax on all Jews , and increased military presence in the region. The Jewish–Roman wars culminated in the Bar Kokhba revolt (132–136 CE), the last major attempt to restore Jewish independence, which resulted in even more catastrophic consequences. There are <ref group=lower-alpha> tags or templates on this page, but the references will not show without a template or template (see the help page ).