Category:Siege of Jerusalem (event)

• BACK to the EVENTS--INDEX
• BACK to JOSEPHUS -- TITUS -- JOHN OF GISCALA -- SIMON BAR GIORA

The Siege of Jerusalem refers to the conquest of Jerusalem by the Romans during the Jewish War. The historian Josephus, who witnessed the event, left a detailed account of the battle.

Overview

After becoming Emperor, Vespasian left the command of the military operations in Judea to his son Titus.

The siege of Jerusalem lasted six months. The city was now under the control of two leaders John of Giscala and Simon bar Giora. They had emerged as the winners in a bloody civil war that had opposed the many Jewish parties in the city. Titus began the final assault with four legions, the V, X, XII and XV and an equivalent number of auxilia. The Roman army erected two camps on Mount Scopus (V, XII, XV legions) and on the Mount of Olives (X Legion). The Jews attacked more than once the Roman army and their camps, but with no result. Later on, the V, XII and XV legions were moved to a second and a third camps, the first facing the Third Wall from the northwest, and the second facing the northwest side of the Second Wall, in front of the Citadel and Herod's Palace. The Jewish defenders were around 20.000. In fact Simon bar Giora had 10.000 followers, and 5000 Idumaeans, who managed the northern and western defenses. John of Giscala had together 8400 Zealots, which included the men who were once followers of Eleazar ben Simon party, and held the eastern defenses. Titus attacked the Third Wall from the northwest with the V, XII and XV legions. The wall was breached and the Romans quickly mastered the New City, defended by the Third Wall. Titus decided to exploit the impetus of his soldiers and continued the attack on the Second Wall. Five days after the fall of the Third Wall also the Second Wall fell in the hands of the Romans. Then Titus divided his army. Two legions were given order to attack the city building fills of earth around, and pushing the siege machines near the fortress walls. This time however the impetus of the Roman attack stopped. The defenders wiped off the siege machines. Titus then asked for a truce. As the Jewish defenders refused to surrender, Titus understood that he had to prepare to a long siege. The Romans thus erected a circumvallation wall that surrounded the First Wall, the Temple Mount and the Antonia Fortress. Moreover the V, XII, and XV legions were moved to a third camp inside the area of the New City. Titus then began the final attack on Jerusalem. The Romans filled the area around the Antonia Fortress, and covered it with wooden infrastructure. The Jewish defenders attacked the Roman earthworks but were repulsed by the Romans. Then the Romans began to batter down the outer wall of the Antonia Fortress. The wall fell down under the Roman rams, but mined also by the galleries excavated by the defenders, who wished to destroy the Roman earthworks. However the Romans had to face another inner wall, erected by the defenders in the prevision of the fortress wall would break down under the Roman rams. For two days the Romans fought to conquer the wall erected by the defenders. However during the night a small group of soldiers escalated the walls and killed the guards. The Romans attacked this wall that fell down. The Jews, thinking that the Romans were already masters of the Antonia Fortress, fled, living the fortress in the hands of the Romans. Titus then destroyed all the fortress, living only the platform, thus he could bring the siege machines till the outer wall of the Temple. The Romans then attacked the Temple Courts defended by Simon bar Giora, which resisted for five more weeks. The Romans then burned down Herod's Temple the 9th of Av, that is still today for the Jews a Day of Fast. Simon bar Giora fled in the city. A month later also the city of Jerusalem defended by the First Wall fell in the hands of the Romans. The Romans burned it to the ground. Titus ordered only to spare the three Towers of the citadel to testify the might that Jerusalem once was. John of Giscala and Simon bar Giora were taken prisoners alive and reserved for Titus' triumphal procession in Rome.

External links