Knowra Siege of Jerusalem (70 CE) Siege of Jerusalem (70 CE) The Roman siege that captured and largely destroyed Jerusalem in 70 CE during the First Jewish–Roman War, including the destruction of the Second Temple.
Titus : Roman general who commanded the siege of Jerusalem and later became emperor. He directed the Roman campaign that breached and captured the city.
First Jewish–Roman War : A revolt against Roman rule in Judea from 66 to 73 or 74 CE. The siege was the war’s decisive campaign and central urban catastrophe.
Josephus : A Jewish priest and historian whose account of the war is a major source for the siege. His narrative describes Jerusalem’s factions, famine, and capture from an eyewitness perspective.
Second Temple : The Jewish temple in Jerusalem rebuilt after the Babylonian exile and expanded under Herod the Great. It was destroyed during the city’s capture, ending the central sacrificial cult.
The Jewish War : Josephus’s history of the revolt against Rome, written in the late first century CE. It is the fullest surviving narrative of the siege and its aftermath.
Roman siege warfare : The Roman military methods for isolating, attacking, and capturing fortified places. Its circumvallation, siege works, and assaults shaped the operation around Jerusalem.
Great Jewish Revolt : A Jewish uprising against Roman rule that began in Judea in 66 CE. The revolt created the military conflict that brought Roman forces to Jerusalem.
Simon bar Giora : A leader of one of the armed groups that fought for control of Jerusalem during the revolt. He commanded defenders during the siege and was captured after the city fell.
Arch of Titus : A Roman triumphal arch in Rome commemorating Titus’s victory in Judea. Its reliefs depict spoils taken from Jerusalem, including the Temple menorah.
Masada : A fortified plateau above the Dead Sea, captured by Roman forces near the end of the revolt. Its archaeological remains illuminate the war’s later campaigns beyond Jerusalem.
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