The Siege of Jerusalem (70 AD) - The Great Jewish Revolt [FULL DOCUMENTARY]

The

siege

of Jerusalem was a massive military effort the likes of which had not been seen since the fall of Carthage two centuries earlier, beginning in April 70 AD. and lasting almost five months. The battle would be a brutal, no-holds-barred fight. Every inch of the city was at stake for the success of the

great

revolt

in Judea and the survival of the Jewish people. Roman involvement in Judea began in 63 BC, when Pompey the Great was drawn into a Jewish civil war and eventually seized Jerusalem, regardless of region. It saw much turbulence during the final years of the Republic and was taken by the Parthians before the legions returned to install the puppet king Herod.

Eventually, a series of procurators oversaw Judea, but these largely lacked the competence or military power to impose order. The Roman authority was very dependent. about local elites who often lacked the trust or respect of the Jewish people, in addition to this, the population of Judea was divided across class, ethnic and religious lines, as a result the region was very unstable, revolutions They seemed perpetually just around the corner and May The riots among the people in 66 AD. They were answered by the harsh overreaction of the Roman procurator Florus, who only angered the situation further by sacking southwest Jerusalem and killing 3,600 people as the situation worsened.

Reinforcements soon arrived from Caesarea only to be driven out by a rebellion. which now spread to the entire region Jerusalem was taken by Jewish rebels while Roman fortresses were limited in Judea and Perea Roman efforts to combat the uprising were led by Vespasian and his son Titus under orders from Emperor Nero in the campaign season from 67 AD Savas fasion advanced south from Antioch and focused his efforts on subduing Galilee. Field battles were virtually unheard of given the enormous advantage the Romans had and most of the fighting was concentrated around the fortifications, resulting in particularly brutal treatment of any population that did not submit.

Rome often acted in a particularly strict manner. To make clear that during the 68 AD offensive in Judea, for example, the Roman army's downstream cities learned of its arrival not from messengers but from the arrival of bodies floating down the Jordan River, the campaign was halted. with the news of Nero's death. The anarchy that followed became known as the Year of the Four Emperors and included a bid for power by the station on July 1, 69 AD. C., in the summer of 70 AD. C. he emerged victorious and set sail for Rome to claim the prize from him. Tito remained in power.

He commanded the Judean campaign with instructions to end the Jewish uprising, this of course meant the long-delayed assault on Jerusalem, home of the rebel leaders and the heart of the resistance. Titus began the Jerusalem campaign in the spring of 70 AD. with his army. of four legions assembled at Alexandria and marched north to Caesarea along the coast, supporting his force were 23 cohorts of auxiliary infantry, 8 allied cavalry and numerous detachments of local troops provided by the client rulers of the region. Historical records seemed to claim that this force numbered around 60,000 men, these estimates imply that the Corps' legionary troops made up around 35% of the army, auxiliary troops around 32% and the remaining local forces around 33%;

However, such a high proportion of local troops raises some doubts about the accuracy of our sources. We can speculate that local rulers were eager to donate men to the war effort in a political attempt to secure Rome's goodwill in the midst of a sword

revolt

; Roman commanders themselves may also have been eager to have additional troops at their side, while local forces surely were not. As reliable as the best legionnaires, they could take on many army responsibilities, freeing up elite troops to do what they did best. This would be especially important in the upcoming

siege

of a city as large and well-fortified as Jerusalem by Roman forces.

He approached Jerusalem and separated the marching columns due to security and supply limitations in the Judean mountain region. Titus led the 12th and 15th legions by the most direct route, while the 5th Macedonian Acha approached via Emmaus and the 10th Fort Ensis approached via Jericho on 23 April. The main units of the 12th and 15th Legions reached the hills north of the city. That night the 5th Macedonian Akka arrived and in the morning the rest of the army entered the battlefield. Before them lay the

great

city with shining temples and solid battlements. The city of Jerusalem is surrounded on three sides by steep ravines, to the east is the Kidron Valley, to the west is the Gihon Valley, and to the south is the Hinnom Valley.

A series of hills surround the area, including the famous Mount of Olives to the ancient east. Jerusalem itself was built on several key topographical features, a city incorporated two foothills of land with the Terrapin Valley in the middle, above the eastern foothills, up to the Temple Mount and Antony's fortress, the heights of the western foothills were occupied by the elites who had built the Upper City during the Ashmolean and Herodian periods, in between these two areas stretched the older and more populous Lower City, which housed most of the population. Both the upper and lower cities were surrounded by a wall that was anchored on the flank by the enormous fortifications.

Around the Temple Mount the population inevitably outgrew its limits and the second city developed north of the first wall. This exposed position was soon surrounded by a second wall that ran from Antonia in the east to the exit gate in the west on the 1st. century AD, another suburb had emerged to the north, known as the new city, once again the expansion required fortifications and in 41 AD. Herod Agrippa commissioned the construction of the third wall. This was an ambitious project with huge blocks of stone intended to enclose a large area. It seems that the scale of the defensive works raises some suspicions among the ward that forced his client the King to abandon the project before its completion during the course of the Jewish revolt, however, the people of Jerusalem managed to put the finishing touches on it. its third layer of battlements.

By the time the legions reached outside Jerusalem, the walls had been raised an additional thirty feet and a series of square towers projecting outwards were built. The combination of rugged terrain and sturdy walls formed a formidable three-layer defensive network, in addition to the maze of narrow streets between them. fortifications could be easily blocked, while numerous underground water and sewage conduits meant that defenders could emerge from any direction for a surprise attack on intruders. Within this huge fortified city was a garrison of approximately 20,000 Jewish soldiers; However, they were not professional forces, but were a motley assortment of militiamen, refugees and fanatics, this composition is a reflection of the completely fractured nature of the Jewish resistance since the outbreak of the revolt, an effective centralized government had failed to take form and the resistance suffered from a chronic failure to achieve synergies between its various factions.

Jerusalem had been divided along partisan lines and was being torn apart in bloody political infighting right up until the arrival of Roman forces. Principled leaders were summoned. GRS who claimed the upper city and Juan de Gajala who was based on the Temple Mount. He commanded the larger of the two forces, which included 10,000 men under 50 officers and 6,000 allied domains under 8 commanders. These troops manned the first wall from Kidron to the Kings' palace on the other side of the city. John had an armed army. Around 6,000 men under 20 officers followed him and were joined by Eliazar with his 2,400 sallets.

These forces occupied the Temple Mount along with the surrounding neighborhoods, including the spoils and open valley. Traditional Jewish fighters were lightly armed and armored. They fought at a distance with slingshots. bows and javelins before approaching with coffins, swords and clubs, while they were agile and determined, they often said that there was no chance in a direct confrontation against the Roman forces, especially the heavy cavalry; However, the Jews in Jerusalem were much better prepared than normal; They had been amassing equipment from Jewish workshops Herodian armories arms dealers deserters and defeated enemies A substantial amount of equipment from the defeated Romans at Beth Haram had been gathered, including a number of artillery pieces, plus the confusing mess of siege warfare it would nullify many of the advantages that a Roman force would enjoy.

In a field battle, finally, it must be said that the morale of the defenders was strengthened by the inevitable survival instincts that took hold when a city decided to fight or die. Considering that the army is important, we would do well to remember that the Sieges are battles of Attrition as such it is necessary to ask about the supply of food and water. Fresh water at least was not an immediate concern due to the presence of numerous cisterns around the city as well as several huge ponds that trapped water from the terrain, on the other hand, food was in supply due to shortages during the wars.

Infighting that preceded the siege, many of the grain warehouses had been raided or destroyed by opposing parties. Furthermore, Jerusalem's already huge population had swelled to dangerous levels in recent weeks with the arrival of pilgrims celebrating Passover, NCO had been very crowded. They outnumbered the armed offenders and imposed severe limitations on the duration of supplies. Once the Romans approached Jerusalem, the countdown began. The Roman army had made a long march to reach Jerusalem. Titus recognized that his men were exhausted and Ordering preliminary camps to be built outside the reach of the city, the 12th and 15th legions that had arrived from the northeast began to set up a kilometer away on the summit of Mount Scopus with another camp planned for the Macedonian 5th Akka 550 meters further back to As the legions advanced towards the place, Titus went forward to personally inspect the defenses on the morning of April 23, he set out with six hundred cavalry following the path that led to the main gate of the third wall, however, the terrain was irregular and It was

full

of gardens, olive groves, hedges, fences, walls and stone structures that had been torn down. knocked down by the defenders in other words, he walked into a maze of obstacles, suddenly the Jewish forces burst through the gate and attacked the Roman column cutting it in half.

The cavalry men in the rear shot towards the open field from which they had meanwhile come. Titus and his escorts stayed behind, the general had forgotten to wear his helmet or cuirass for the expedition, but he drew his sword anyway and led a charge to escape, according to Josephus, I quote that he perpetually diverted those with this sword that came from his side he struck down many. of those who met him directly and rode on those who were overthrown and the Pope, the encounter was close, but finally the Romans were able to break through although they lost several men and left many wounded.

Titus was probably shaken by the At this event and eager to get the siege underway, he ordered the tenth most tense to come even closer and began building trenches on the top of the Mount of Olives. However, the Jews felt emboldened by their near success and decided to continue with a massive assault. At the east and south gates, their sights were set on the legionaries working. The combatants crossed the Kidron Valley and descended on the half-built camp of the tenth pratensis. The Romans were caught completely off guard. The Jewish troops began massacring their disorganized opponents as more Mintz ran from the gates. city ​​to complete the route Tito attacked the flank with his bodyguard, which was enough to force the mob to retreat down the ravine.

On the 10th, the most tense resumed work only to suffer a second assault from the Jews who had been constantly bringing in more and more such ferocious men. The attack overwhelmed the Roman force on the low ground, many of the soldiers fled to the heights while Titus and a group of troops attempted to hold the line shortly after the legionaries regrouped and counterattacked down the hill, driving the Jews back a again and the consequent When the camp fortifications were finally completed, this secured the position of the Roman ford, but left everyone with a reminder that the strength of the Jewish defense had been dangerouslyunderestimated in response, Titus now took precautions against future counterattacks, placing cavalry divisions to deflect the attacks and ordering the ground between the Roman camps and the walls to be clear of obstacles, this meant felling trees, flattening hedges, filling ditches and destroying overhangs. of rock, this had the dual purpose of removing any cover for Jewish raids, as well as preparing the ground for siege work. the Roman army had effectively rolled up its sleeves, it was time to get to work Titus recognized the difficulties of attacking from the east, where the ravines were steepest, as a result he decided to focus on the western flank of the third wall, the tenth pratensis was left to defend the Mount of Olives While the remaining three legions were redeployed, the 5th Danka mass built a camp 400 meters west of the western gate while the 12th and 15th legions established themselves in front of the best artillery positions they Now they were deployed with their sights set on the city under their covering fire.

Each legion began to build a ramp of earth and wood to the third wall. Jewish shells rained down from above as an attack group slowed down construction at all times of the day and night, however, the concentrated power of the three legions with artillery support proved too much as the attackers completed their ramps and were soon rolling slowly. The battering rams into place, the thud of the battering rams signaled the progress of the romance, but also served as a battle cry for the defenders, militia units from around the city crowded in to Pelt the crews and their The guards with missiles from above while the assault groups attacked the engines on foot from the posture and the gates, the brave defenders fought their way to the Rams' protective sheds and were about to destroy the equipment before Titus led a cavalry attack to drive them away before the onslaught began.

Roman engineers went on to build three siege towers that were too heavy to be knocked down and which were also fire tested, then moved into place to provide fire support for the construction and clear the area of ​​defenders. On the fifteenth day of the siege, the Rams broke through the third wall, the Jews ceded the outer city to the Romans and retreated to the second wall. Titus was eager to keep up the momentum and set up camp in the heart of the new city, tearing down many structures in the process as the rams were now introduced.

Position once again and aimed at the door of the central tower. Within four days a gap formed, the legionnaires formed up and advanced through the narrow gap, however, they were met with an eerie silence as the troops cautiously advanced. Through the seemingly deserted streets, they suddenly found themselves attacked from all directions, the trap was already activated and the Jews began to launch varieties of missiles against the dense groups of infantry, at the same time hit and run groups attacked the troops exposed, but straying too far from the main body in shock, the Romans attempted to retreat.

He returned through the gap, but found that it was so narrow that only a few men could pass through it at a time. This choke point was a prime target for the defenders' archers and slingers. Roman archer units were brought in to provide covering fire and facilitated the advance. sufficient pressure to allow retreat at the same time, however, the Jewish force was mobilized to advance as the Roman tide receded, they rushed towards the walls unleashing continuous bombardments azan at the attackers, meanwhile, raids with large blocks of The Jews pressed the Romans back while the The breach was repaired Josephus remembers that the fighting went on all day and into the night the action around the tower gate continued and on the fourth day the legions once again broke through, this Titus once ordered the entire northern section of the second wall to be torn down and the surrounding towers to be manned by Roman forces.

The Jews now retreated to the first wall. This was part of a deliberate plan to carry out a combat retreat against the Romans while preserving Now that the defensive line had a much smaller surface area than at the beginning of the siege, this meant that the outnumbered Jews could concentrate forces much more easily. and repel attacks. At this point, overall command of the defense had been given to Simon, who was in control. first wall along the northern side to the Royal Palace The Galileans and fanatics of Jon occupied the Temple Mount and Antony's fortress on the eastern edge of the line the legions advanced towards the second city ted has sent the 10th and 15th legions to raise ramps to the west, where walls 2 and 1 met, to the east he had the Fifth and Twelfth Legion begin construction against Antony's fortress.

They did so under incessant raids and missile attacks. Historians tell us that the Jewish forces at this point would have been able to carry With 300 bolt throwers and 40 stone throwers from the rebel armory, this firepower was considerable and must have forced the Romans to construct their own protective countermeasures. On May 29, after 17 days of intense work and continuous harassment, the Romans completed their attack routes. To the eastern and western flanks, battering rams, siege towers and numerous cohorts were deployed for an all-out assault; However, unbeknownst to the Romans, the Jewish forces had been hard at work, they themselves had carried out secret destruction operations with a tunnel passing under the first wall to the siege ramps against Antony the excavations were being held tightly. props that the Jews set on fire while the fire continued its course the ground gave way in a huge abyss that opened up enveloping the ramps and their siege engines fires that were temporarily quelled It exploded once again when the bitumen re-ignited and burned what remained of the team.

The Romans had once again fatally underestimated the defenders and were reaping the consequences in the west. Simon Sally set out at night to attack the siege works in his sector of the battlefield. The brave rebels. They overcame the resistance and made their way up the ramps, setting fire to their sheds, the fire alarmed the legionnaires, who saw their hard work go up in smoke and rushed to try to get the Rams out of danger. They encountered Jewish reinforcements coming out of A stand and gates and a pitched battle ensued, a deadly tug-of-war followed the Rams and the rebels finally managed to complete their destruction.

The demoralized Romans retreated, sensing an opportunity. The Jewish forces left the city in pursuit, driving out the legions. The road back to their camp The retreat was stabilized when Titus once again rode to the rescue with his cavalry A fierce fight ensued but the rebels were finally pushed back towards the first wall The Roman siege lines were in ruins Virtually all of their battering rams and Ramps were burning ruined in the morning and the morale of the legions must have been in a similar state. The hottest part of the year was approaching now water was running out and building material was becoming harder to come by, however Titus He launched an ambitious plan to restore the spirit and security of the men, his plan called for the construction of an eight kilometer wall of ring forts to achieve this, he took advantage of the proud nature of the troops by having the legions and cohorts challenge each other. for the honor of being the first to complete their mission.

The assigned part of the wall was relatively safe from Jewish attacks. Legionnaires were free to reforge their unit cohesion through competitive work. The result was a surprising success in three days. The entire structure was completed. Morale was restored among the Romans. All the Jews were left with the impressive sign that the Roman war machine was not receding if anything, things had simply accelerated with the completion of the ring wall, the noose around Jerusalem was finally tightened before the citizens had He had been able to sneak out at night to collect supplies from In the Country, but this now proved impossible.

Any rebels caught outside the walls were crucified as a terrifying example of Rome's wrath, while even those who voluntarily deserted were often disemboweled by troops who believed their stomachs would be filled with ingested precious objects to hide within the food situation. . rapidly deteriorated the defenders were forced to eat pets and boil hay disturbing reports also mentioned cases of child cannibalism that were taking place now in the tenth week of the siege titus ordered all forces to concentrate their assault on the fortress of antonio the large assault The scale began with the mobilization of archers and artillery to suppress the walls while two battering rams were placed in position and men armed with crowbars aimed at the foundations of the towers.

Despite great efforts on the first day, the Romans were forced to withdraw for the night without doing anything visible. However, the intense activity in the area affected the structural stability of the fortress. The mine that had previously brought down the Roman siege ramps had also undermined the Antonius. A heavy rain combined with the pressure of the men and the machinery in operation was the last straw in the middle of the night. The north wall of the fortress collapsed at first light. The Romans positioned themselves for a direct assault through the breach once again however the Jews were one step ahead and had already built another secondary wall on the other side, not willing to give up the night's gift, Titus asked for volunteers to attack the fortifications head on.

A handful of brave men volunteered, no doubt encouraged by the promise of a rich reward. This gang came under heavy fire as they ran towards The Barricade, but managed to climb over the top, the attackers turned out to be very few and, with no reinforcements along the way, they were inevitably massacred. The failure of this mission in the sight of the Roman army undermined their will to fight. A tentative stalemate ensued two days later in the Early morning, 24 enterprising Romans, including a flag bearer of the 5th Akka Macedonia and a trumpeter, decided to attack on their own initiative.

The men silently climbed onto the ruins of Fortress Antonia and slit the centuries' throats with the barricade now secured. The trumpeter blew a The signal that this explosion within the walls caused the Jews to panic as they woke up from their sleep imagining that the entire Roman army was upon them and they fled to the Temple Mount, while the Roman command was equally confused but knew something had to be done with Tito. With his officers he gathered men chosen from the units and immediately sent them towards the sound of the trumpet. When the Jews realized that the Romans were not on their heels, cooler heads prevailed and they gathered.

Militias flocked to the courtyard when it soon became evident that real Roman forces would no doubt now be on their way if they could gain a foothold in the sanctuary. Everything was lost. Both sides realized this was the case and plunged into the darkness toward the passages linking Antony to the Temple Mount. -confinement rooms that lasted for almost ten hours. In the end, the fury of the Jews, fueled by constant reinforcements, prevailed over the Romans, who sounded their retreat, thus putting an end to the first battle of the temple. Titus ordered the men to lift Antony from his side.

The battle lines and within a week were ready to renew the attack. 7,200 legionaries chosen from 30 of the best troops of each century were gathered on the night of July 17. These men silently headed toward the ruins of Antony for a surprise attack. The Jewish centuries were chosen either way. They anticipated the advance and raised the alarm in some areas. The Roman forces were able to fight their way past the high tide mark of the previous week. However, in the dead of night chaos reigned, this was made even worse by the fact that the rebels had geared up.

With Roman equipment captured to the point that many legionnaires and Jewish units ended up clashing and fighting friendly forces, the combat was so confusing that it became virtually impossible to capitalize on the gains made by both sides when the sun finally began to rise with some degree of order. . It was eventually restored Josephus reports that both sides now separated and formed into irregular battle lines at the edges of the sanctuaries. The missiles from the northern edge began to fly and a wild pitched battle developed. Tito attempted to orchestrate an organized attack, but thenarrow confines again made this useless.

By noon it became clear that no progress would be made and the second battle of the temple was called off. Clearly it would be impossible to poke a hole in the Jewish bottleneck. Tito decided to expand the scale of the attack at the peak of summer. Because of the heat, he ordered four more ramps to be built against the northwest corner of the temple mount. In response, the Jews concentrated their missiles against the walls and sent continuous waves of skirmishers and sorties to harass the work teams; However, the legions steadily progressed with the works. Nearing completion, the defenders demolished the northwest corner of the temple's colonnade, severing the connection between the defensive parapets and the remaining elements of the Antony.

This effectively eliminated a key avenue that the Romans had hoped to use as an attack route while making a grand sortie. attempt against the Roman bypass wall on the Mount of Olives, although unsuccessful, this assault once again testified to the audacity of the defenders a cornered beast was certainly a force to be reckoned with on July 27 Roman work groups built a ramp against the broken wall At the end of the western colonnade he saw an opportunity, it seemed that the Jewish activity on the other fronts had caused a withdrawal of the defensive forces in the area, the legions rushed forward with ladders for an immediate escalating assault , hundreds of troops were now crowded on the defenseless walls with many more following them, however the Jewish retreat had been a trap in the previous days they had secretly filled the beams with dry wood and bitumen which now set fire to the entire sector of the wall burst into flames with the Roman stormtroopers trapped in the inferno.

This occurred within both armies and provided a tremendous morale boost to the defenders. The Romans were wary of another escalated assault and instead attempted to breach the walls with battering rams and pickaxes for days, working around the clock in relays to undermine the defensive fortifications they made. So, under a continuous bombardment of missiles and harassment, several huge blocks were finally released, but the thick construction of the Temple Mount defied all attempts at destruction. Titus must have been unimaginably frustrated, desperate for results, he ordered another assault on the walls, the results were predictably bloody. Roman troops climbing the stairs were left dangerously exposed, many finding themselves felled and their attempts to scale the walls, while others eventually managed to reach the top under continued artillery and covering fire from archers, only to be cut off, those who succeeded were vastly outnumbered and massacred.

Roman centurions resorted to throwing legionary eagles at the walls in an attempt to motivate proud soldiers to retrieve them; However, even this desperate measure proved fruitless and only resulted in the deaths of even more bull-headed attackers. The increasingly costly assault was abandoned rather than abandon all hope. Titus made preparations for another attack on the temple in early August. The goal would be to eventually break through the bottleneck at Antony and advance into the open spaces of the courtyard where the legions would gain the space needed to effectively fight the archers. and artillery concentrated in and around Antony's ruins, they began to target the defender holding out at the northern end of the temple complex.

Once they had cleared, the Roman troops burned and tore down the entire northern colonnade, this allowed the Attackers would spread across the entire width of the square and at the same time eliminate a crucial Jewish defensive position, while the northern battlements were now destroyed. Sight lines opened to the other flanking battlement positions. The defenders stationed here found themselves dangerously exposed. and were forced to retreat, the Jewish defense line was reformed and now runs through the center of the Temple Mount with the temple itself serving as the central bastion. It is around this time that the most serious of bad omens took place.

This spiritual crisis involved the daily sacrifice of lamb to Yahweh like clockwork, the priests had kept the holy rite of time, omitting the bloodshed and famine of the siege, but on August 5 the last of the sacrificial lambs ran out. now at the height of the siege with the Romans. As the Jews moved forward, they lost their connection with God. The stage was now set for a fight for the very heart of Jerusalem. The Temple Mount. The left end of the jagged Jewish line was stationed. The western gate with access to the Upper City. The right flank was anchored. the opposite side of the colonnade in Solomon's portico the center of the line crossed the temple and its inner courtyard the Romans dominated the north the Jews the south both sides were prepared for a fateful duel within the enormous gladiator arena that was the Temple Mount complex in the center of the battlefield was the axis of the Jewish defenses the Inner Temple like the Temple Mount the temple was surrounded by a wall with wide fighting platforms above a series of perimeter colonnades half The eastern part of the complex was known as a court of Then, this was connected to the western half by another wall and the Corinthian gate, on the other side was the court of the Israelites and beyond, the court of the priests, at the end next to the sacred place, a white marble building 45 meters high. adorned with enormous golden doors and crowned with golden tips, it was said to be the very house of God and to which only the high priests entered on the day of atonement; in fact, the entire Inner Temple was normally off-limits to all but a select few.

However, circumstances demand extraordinary measures and the sacred space today was

full

of defenders despite being exhausted and on the verge of starvation, the Jews attacked at dawn on August 9, the troops broke through the eastern gate and rushed against the Roman lines with strength against the surprised injuries. He staggered from the blow, but managed to stand his ground once more. Titus had his cavalry mount and charge across the open field. The small group of horses crashed into the Jewish mob sending shock waves through the mass of men. However, the attack failed to deter the rebels and a third temple battle began.

This engagement was characterized by a confusing series of attacks and counterattacks along the eastern edge of the sanctuary. The Jewish defenders offered fire support from atop the nearby temple roofs, while their Roman counterparts did the same from their own rear. Overall, the fighting dragged on for several hours before falling into an uncomfortable stalemate. The next day, August 10, the Jews again launched an attack against the Romans occupying the outer court, beginning the fourth battle of the temple. The confrontation was equally close, but the crushing of a Roman counterattack managed to push the defenders to the walls of the temple.

Here the Jews on top of the walls dislodged stones and threw a variety of projectiles at the Romans, however, in a closed press below, a pair of legionaries were captured on impulse. He grabbed a piece of burning rubble while the other lifted it against the north side of the temple. From this elevation he threw the flaming wood through a low gilded door into the sanctuary chambers. In the summer heat, the highly flammable woods and textiles burned. They turned into thick black clay. Smoke rose into the air as the fire spread rapidly to the astonishment of both sides.

The fire quickly grew out of control, threatening to consume the countless sacred texts and treasures within the temple. The Jews were paralyzed between choosing to fight the flames or the Romans. The legion took the initiative and advanced without orders, they broke down the eastern doors and entered the inner courtyard of the temple. At that moment, at the climax of a grueling three-month siege, the attackers gave way to their beasts, the shield of nature, the soldiers broke free. its officers controlled only by a toxic psychological state of repressed rage and frustration pity was the first victim soon followed by a carnage of all those who did not flee hell the young the old the defenseless all were put to the sword this thirst for Bloodshed would only be matched in intensity by greed, the Roman soldiers plunged into the burning complex with the intention of taking treasures as the frenzy reached a fever pitch where the Roman troops were being trampled to death by their comrades, the Titus's rival seemed to have little effect on the state of the men; this was often a natural occurrence in the final stages of a siege, when even the most capable commanders could do nothing to contain the wild passions of the soldiers.

Finally, the delirium subsided when the temple was cleansed. Both men on fire, chants of Imperator Imperator Imperator saluted. Titus, by ordering the sacrifice of an ox, a sheep and a pig at the eastern gate of the temple, with this movement consummated the dominion of the Roman gods over that of the Jews, although the Temple Mount had fallen Jewish resistance in the rest of Jerusalem. . If Simon's militia and those who had escaped from the smoking ruins of the temple had not regrouped atop the entrenched positions in the Upper City and Herod's palace, from here they engaged the legions across the valley of Tara.

Payne, a parliament was held atop a bridge linking the two. The Jewish commanders Simon and John attempted to negotiate their free departure from Jerusalem, but Titus was emboldened by his recent victory and demanded nothing less than unconditional surrender when talks failed. The legions were unleashed on the lower city in a show of force. For two days they made their way through narrow alleys and rooftops, dispatching rebels and non-combatants. Fires were also lit in a lake to eliminate survivors from the lower districts. The flames caused tremendous damage to lives and property. They also involved large numbers of deaths. bodies in various states of decomposition filling the air with a horrible stench all that remained now was the last fortress of Herod's Palace.

This fortress was dominated by strong walls and a ring of towers ranging from 25 to 40 meters in height, in addition to the buildings on top. The city blocked a clear line of access, while numerous underground passages could allow the Jews to carry out effective raids against incoming siege works. The Romans had already faced significant problems against similar defenses and were not eager to try once again. Instead, the attackers chose to mount their attacks. assault from the west flanking from outside the walls of Jerusalem the four legions now massed in the Valley of Hinnom and began construction of a final set of seating ramps.

The allied and auxiliary troops within Jerusalem also went to work on their own platforms against the upper city located in the fire duct the gymnasium and Simon's tower. The resources and manpower of the Romans were extremely scarce, this delayed the construction to some extent, but the projects were inevitably completed at the end of two and a half weeks, on September 7, the Romans were able to bring in the remaining rams and began to tear down the walls, the Jewish forces at this point were so weakened that by For the first time they did not allow sorties against the siege team.

The defenders attempted to offer resistance from the two upper walls, but were easily swept away by massive Roman shell fire. As sections of the western wall began to crumble, the legionnaires fought their way through the gaps against the defensive force who quickly found themselves narrating that it seems that the reality of a final defeat swept away the Roman troops and captured the battlements more quickly than they thought. Any type could The tall towers of the fossil hippa cos and Miriam were abandoned when the survivors gave in to the inevitable or retreated to land. The Jewish leaders along with groups of dedicated fighters ran in all directions desperately seeking to find a way through the Roman lines.

They were captured by Roman street patrols while others resorted to crawling through sewers or even attempted to tunnel their way out of the city. In the end, both Simon and John were captured alive, they along with seven hundred other young men would be sent to Rome to be set free. On full display for Titus's eventual triumph, all remaining males aged 17 or older were chained and sentenced to death, whether in the mines of Egypt or in gladiatorial arenas around the Empire, women and children were taken to the slave markets. If we were told that we did not have exact figures of how many lives were extinguished or enslaved as a resultof the sack of Jerusalem, Josephus would have us believe that more than 1.1 million were killed, while Tacitus offers a more plausible figure of 600,000.

Both figures seem wildly inflated, but perhaps they are an indication. From the carnage that took place when Titus decided to destroy a densely populated city full of refugees and pilgrims, we only have to look at modern sieges such as Stalingrad to imagine the horrors suffered by the numerous non-combatants trapped within the walls in Rome and Pervis Fasion was busy setting the stage for his son's honorable return. Victory in Jerusalem guaranteed a triumph. It would be used as a centerpiece for the legitimization of the Flavian dynasty. When the time came, Titus would parade through the streets of Rome on a chariot. the leader of a procession that glorified the conquests in the east, soldiers and captives marched through the streets dressed in full regalia alongside floats depicting dramatic scenes from the campaign.

Large amounts of treasures were also on display, including the large seven-branched menorah, the highlight of the festivities. It involved a flame and a ritual strangulation of Simon Joris, who had served as general commander of the Jewish forces during the siege, while the revolt may have been symbolically crushed. Jewish resistance would burn until the final ward and suppression of Masada in 73 AD, although this to bring about the conclusion of the first Jewish revolt, there would be several more to follow, each with increasing levels of devastation. The siege of Jerusalem stands as one of the most brutal examples of total war of the classical era since the fall of Carthage 200 years earlier.

These hundreds of thousands of babies cradled by their mothers grew up through millions of unique experiences only to find themselves all in Jerusalem, each of their stories worthy of their own novel having been revealed in one way or another during these three months and have been through the great filter of history. reduced to a reference in this very sentence, I don't think URI or our species has the capacity to truly understand this in the end, maybe all we can do is take the time to pause and reflect while we do, we can somehow way to communicate. with our ancestors who did the same in Carthage, for example, Lea crying from Skippy Oh Millie Anne is said to have looked over the flames that engulfed the city imagining that one day such flames would be seen over Rome itself in Jerusalem, We can imagine that Tito was also gripped by similar thoughts today, I am sure that we can also raise our heads in humility and reflect on the destruction we reaped around the world and that may one day return to our own homes.