When did the siege of Jerusalem 70 CE begin and end?
The siege began in spring 69 CE when Titus returned to Judaea with his army. The destruction of the Second Temple occurred on the tenth of Av during the summer of 70 CE.
Questions about Siege of Jerusalem (70 CE)
Short answers, pulled from the story.
Who commanded the Roman forces during the siege of Jerusalem 70 CE?
Titus led the Roman army consisting of Legio V Macedonica, Legio X Fretensis, and Legio XV Apollinaris. Tiberius Julius Alexander served as his second-in-command throughout the campaign.
How many people were inside Jerusalem during the siege of 70 CE?
Tacitus recorded that 600,000 people were besieged within the walls though modern historians consider this figure exaggerated. Josephus reported 97,000 enslaved after Romans killed armed elderly survivors while around 11,000 prisoners died from starvation.
What happened to the Second Temple during the siege of Jerusalem 70 CE?
On the tenth of Av a soldier hurled burning wood into the northern chamber igniting fire that consumed the entire structure. Titus entered the Holy of Holies commanding his troops to stop destruction yet they continued looting and setting ablaze.
Where did the Jewish leadership go after the fall of Jerusalem in 70 CE?
Rabban Yohanan ben Zakkai smuggled himself out of Jerusalem in a coffin pretending dead to meet Vespasian. He secured establishment of a rabbinic center at Yavneh where disciples laid groundwork for Judaism no longer centered on temple.