Jewish-Roman wars
Encyclopedia
The Jewish–Roman wars were a series of large-scale revolts by the Jews
of Iudaea Province
and Eastern Mediterranean
against the Roman Empire
. Some sources use the term to refer only to the First Jewish–Roman War (66–73) and Bar Kokhba revolt (132–135). Other sources include the Kitos War
(115–117) as one of the Jewish–Roman wars; however this revolt started among the Jewish diaspora
in Cyrenaica
, and only its final stages were actually fought within Judaea Province.
The Jewish-Roman Wars left an epic impact on the Jews, turning them from a major population in the Eastern Mediterranean to a scattered and persecuted minority. The events also include a major impact on Judaism, as the central worship of Judaism, the Temple in Jerusalem
was destroyed by Titus' troops. Though Samaritans gained some sort of autonomy in the 4th century and later the Jews succeeded in establishing a short living Jewish Sassanid Commonwealth in 614 CE, the actual dominance of Israelites in parts of the Southern Levant was regained only in the early 20th century.
, renamed Syria Palaestina
after 135, now against Constantinople
(the Roman capital after 330, often designated the Byzantine Empire
) include:
Jews
The Jews , also known as the Jewish people, are a nation and ethnoreligious group originating in the Israelites or Hebrews of the Ancient Near East. The Jewish ethnicity, nationality, and religion are strongly interrelated, as Judaism is the traditional faith of the Jewish nation...
of Iudaea Province
Iudaea Province
Judaea or Iudaea are terms used by historians to refer to the Roman province that extended over parts of the former regions of the Hasmonean and Herodian kingdoms of Israel...
and Eastern Mediterranean
Eastern Mediterranean
The Eastern Mediterranean is a term that denotes the countries geographically to the east of the Mediterranean Sea. This region is also known as Greater Syria or the Levant....
against the Roman Empire
Roman Empire
The Roman Empire was the post-Republican period of the ancient Roman civilization, characterised by an autocratic form of government and large territorial holdings in Europe and around the Mediterranean....
. Some sources use the term to refer only to the First Jewish–Roman War (66–73) and Bar Kokhba revolt (132–135). Other sources include the Kitos War
Kitos War
The Kitos War , translation: Rebellion of the exile) is the name given to the second of the Jewish–Roman wars. Major revolts by diasporic Jews in Cyrene , Cyprus, Mesopotamia and Aegyptus spiraled out of control resulting in a widespread slaughter of Roman citizens and others by the Jewish rebels...
(115–117) as one of the Jewish–Roman wars; however this revolt started among the Jewish diaspora
Jewish diaspora
The Jewish diaspora is the English term used to describe the Galut גלות , or 'exile', of the Jews from the region of the Kingdom of Judah and Roman Iudaea and later emigration from wider Eretz Israel....
in Cyrenaica
Cyrenaica
Cyrenaica is the eastern coastal region of Libya.Also known as Pentapolis in antiquity, it was part of the Creta et Cyrenaica province during the Roman period, later divided in Libia Pentapolis and Libia Sicca...
, and only its final stages were actually fought within Judaea Province.
The Jewish-Roman Wars left an epic impact on the Jews, turning them from a major population in the Eastern Mediterranean to a scattered and persecuted minority. The events also include a major impact on Judaism, as the central worship of Judaism, the Temple in Jerusalem
Second Temple
The Jewish Second Temple was an important shrine which stood on the Temple Mount in Jerusalem between 516 BCE and 70 CE. It replaced the First Temple which was destroyed in 586 BCE, when the Jewish nation was exiled to Babylon...
was destroyed by Titus' troops. Though Samaritans gained some sort of autonomy in the 4th century and later the Jews succeeded in establishing a short living Jewish Sassanid Commonwealth in 614 CE, the actual dominance of Israelites in parts of the Southern Levant was regained only in the early 20th century.
Sequence
The Jewish–Roman wars include the following:- First Jewish–Roman War (66–73) — also called the First Jewish Revolt or the Great Jewish Revolt, spanning from the 66 CE insurrection, through the 67 fall of the Galilee, the destruction of Jerusalem and the Temple in 70 and finally the fall of Masada in 73.
- Kitos WarKitos WarThe Kitos War , translation: Rebellion of the exile) is the name given to the second of the Jewish–Roman wars. Major revolts by diasporic Jews in Cyrene , Cyprus, Mesopotamia and Aegyptus spiraled out of control resulting in a widespread slaughter of Roman citizens and others by the Jewish rebels...
(115–117) — known as the "Rebellion of the Exile" and sometimes called the Second Jewish-Roman War. - Bar Kokhba revolt (132–135) — also called the Second Jewish-Roman War (when Kitos War is not counted), or the Third (when the Kitos War is counted).
Aftermath
Further revolts in the Holy LandHoly Land
The Holy Land is a term which in Judaism refers to the Kingdom of Israel as defined in the Tanakh. For Jews, the Land's identifiction of being Holy is defined in Judaism by its differentiation from other lands by virtue of the practice of Judaism often possible only in the Land of Israel...
, renamed Syria Palaestina
Syria Palaestina
Syria Palæstina was a Roman province between 135CE and 390CE. It had been established by the merge of Roman Syria and Roman Judaea, following the defeat of the Bar Kokhba Revolt in 135 CE. In 193 Syria-Coele was split to form a separate provincial locality...
after 135, now against Constantinople
Constantinople
Constantinople was the capital of the Roman, Eastern Roman, Byzantine, Latin, and Ottoman Empires. Throughout most of the Middle Ages, Constantinople was Europe's largest and wealthiest city.-Names:...
(the Roman capital after 330, often designated the Byzantine Empire
Byzantine Empire
The Byzantine Empire was the Eastern Roman Empire during the periods of Late Antiquity and the Middle Ages, centred on the capital of Constantinople. Known simply as the Roman Empire or Romania to its inhabitants and neighbours, the Empire was the direct continuation of the Ancient Roman State...
) include:
- Jewish revolt against Gallus (351) — the Jewish revolt originating in Sepphoris in the GalileeGalileeGalilee , is a large region in northern Israel which overlaps with much of the administrative North District of the country. Traditionally divided into Upper Galilee , Lower Galilee , and Western Galilee , extending from Dan to the north, at the base of Mount Hermon, along Mount Lebanon to the...
. - Samaritan RevoltsSamaritan RevoltsThe Samaritan Revolts were a series of insurrections during the 5th and 6th centuries in Palaestina Prima province, launched by the Samaritans against the Christian East Roman/Byzantine Empire...
(484–572) — Samaritan incited revolts, originating largely in Neapolis. - Jewish revolt against Heraclius (613) — the Jewish revolt originating in Tiberias in the Galilee.
See also
- Siege of Jerusalem (63 BC)Siege of Jerusalem (63 BC)-Bibliography:** Josephus, Flavius. William Whiston, A.M., translator . . Auburn and Buffalo, New York: John E. Beardsley. Retrieved 15 July 2010.*****...
- Arch of TitusArch of TitusThe Arch of Titus is a 1st-century honorific arch located on the Via Sacra, Rome, just to the south-east of the Roman Forum. It was constructed in c.82 AD by the Roman Emperor Domitian shortly after the death of his older brother Titus to commemorate Titus' victories, including the Siege of...
- Fall of MasadaMasadaMasada is the name for a site of ancient palaces and fortifications in the South District of Israel, on top of an isolated rock plateau, or horst, on the eastern edge of the Judean Desert, overlooking the Dead Sea. Masada is best known for the violence that occurred there in the first century CE...
- Second TempleSecond TempleThe Jewish Second Temple was an important shrine which stood on the Temple Mount in Jerusalem between 516 BCE and 70 CE. It replaced the First Temple which was destroyed in 586 BCE, when the Jewish nation was exiled to Babylon...
- Siege of Jerusalem (70)Siege of Jerusalem (70)The Siege of Jerusalem in the year 70 AD was the decisive event of the First Jewish-Roman War. The Roman army, led by the future Emperor Titus, with Tiberius Julius Alexander as his second-in-command, besieged and conquered the city of Jerusalem, which had been occupied by its Jewish defenders in...
- Legio X FretensisLegio X FretensisLegio X Fretensis was a Roman legion levied by Augustus Caesar in 41/40 BC to fight during the period of civil war that started the dissolution of the Roman Republic...
- Legio XII FulminataLegio XII FulminataLegio duodecima Fulminata , also known as Paterna, Victrix, Antiqua, Certa Constans, and Galliena, was a Roman legion, levied by Julius Caesar in 58 BC and which accompanied him during the Gallic wars until 49 BC. The unit was still guarding the Euphrates River crossing near Melitene at the...
- List of conflicts in the Near East