In AD 66 the Jews of Judaea rose in revolt against Roman rule. After four years of war, in which Vespasian became emperor, his son Titus laid siege to Jerusalem at Passover in 70, and in late summer his legions stormed the city and burned the Second Temple. Josephus, the Jewish commander who surrendered and wrote the history of the war, claimed that over a million people died in the siege. The treasures of the Temple were carried to Rome, shown on the Arch of Titus. The destruction transformed Judaism, shifting it from sacrifice at the Temple to the study of the law, and scattering Jewish communities.
Before and after
- from 66 CE to 135 CEJewish–Roman Wars
- 66 CEDeath of Paul the Apostle
- from June 68 CE to December 69 CEYear of the Four Emperors
- 9 June 68 CEDeath of Nero
- August 70 CEThe Romans destroy the Temple in Jerusalem
- 24 January 76 CEBirth of Hadrian
- 79 CEVesuvius buries Pompeii and Herculaneum
- 24 August 79 CEEruption of Mount Vesuvius in 79
- 80 CEThe Colosseum is inaugurated
More in Wars, politics & history
- c. 3,101 BCENarmer unifies Egypt
- from c. 1,258 BCE to 1,180 BCETrojan War
- c. 510 BCEThe Roman Republic is founded
- c. 509 BCECleisthenes lays the foundations of Athenian democracy
- 147 BCERome destroys Carthage
- 24 August 410 CEAlaric and the Visigoths sack Rome
The era
This moment belongs to the Ancient civilizations (3,200 BCE to 500 CE), writing, cities and empires. You can also browse everything in the 1st century.