Key Facts
- Roman force size
- At least 48,000 troops (four legions + auxiliaries)
- Second Temple destroyed
- Summer 70 CE, month of Av (Tisha B'Av)
- City fall
- Early September 70 CE
- Commemorated in
- Arch of Titus and Judaea Capta coinage
- Subsequent garrison
- Legio X Fretensis stationed on Jerusalem's ruins
Strategic Narrative Overview
In spring 70 CE, Titus encircled Jerusalem with at least 48,000 troops and began systematic siege operations. Internal Jewish factional strife had destroyed food stores, yet defenders mounted fierce resistance once they united. Roman forces breached the outer walls progressively, driving defenders back into the Temple precincts. In the summer month of Av, Roman troops captured the Temple Mount and destroyed the Second Temple. The rest of the city fell by early September 70 CE.
01 / The Origins
The siege arose from the First Jewish Revolt (66–73 CE), in which Judaea rebelled against Roman rule. After consolidating power following Rome's succession war, Emperor Vespasian tasked his son Titus with suppressing the revolt. Jerusalem, swollen with refugees and Passover pilgrims, was the revolt's primary stronghold. Rival Jewish factions led by John of Gischala, Simon bar Giora, and Eleazar ben Simon simultaneously held the city, undermining its cohesion and exhausting its food supplies.
03 / The Outcome
Tens of thousands of Jerusalem's inhabitants were killed, enslaved, or executed. Romans razed the city, sparing only Herod's three towers and portions of the wall. In 71 CE, Titus and Vespasian celebrated a triumph in Rome, parading Temple spoils including the menorah. The destruction ended sacrificial Jewish worship, spurring the rise of Rabbinic Judaism. Emperor Hadrian later refounded the site as Aelia Capitolina in 130 CE, triggering the Bar Kokhba revolt.
Belligerents & Mobilization Analysis
Side A
1 belligerent
Titus.
Side B
1 belligerent
John of Gischala, Simon bar Giora, Eleazar ben Simon.
Kinetic Engagement Axis
Scroll horizontally to view full axis. Events plotted relatively.