DestructionTemple

Cassius Dio 65.4-7:

[|Titus], who had been assigned to the war against the Jews, undertook to win them over by certain representations and promises; but, as they would not yield, he now proceeded to wage war upon them. The [|first battles] he fought were indecisive; then he got the upper hand and proceeded to besiege Jerusalem. This city had three walls, including the one that surrounded the temple. 2 The Romans, accordingly, heaped up mounds against the outer wall, brought up painter engines, joined battle with all who sallied forth to fight and repulsed them, and with their slings and arrows kept back all the defenders of the wall; for they had many slingers and bowmen that had been sent by some of the barbarian kings. 3 The Jews also were assisted by many of their countrymen from the region round about and by many who professed the same religion, not only from the Roman empire but also from beyond the Euphrates; and these, also, kept hurling missiles and stones with no little force on account of their higher position, some being flung by the hand and some hurled by means of engines. 4 They also made sallies both night and day, whenever occasion offered, set fire to the siege engines, slew many of their assailants, and undermined the Romans' mounds by removing the earth through tunnels driven under the wall As for the battering-rams, sometimes they threw ropes around them and broke them off, sometimes they pulled them up with hooks, and again they used thick planks fastened together and strengthened with iron, which they let down in front of the wall and thus fended off the blow of still others. 5 But the Romans suffered most hardship from the lack of water; for their supply was of poor quality and had to be brought from a distance. The Jews found in their [|underground passages] a source of strength; for they had these tunnels dug from inside the city and extending out under the walls to distant points in the country, and going out through them, they would attack the Romans' water-carriers and harass any scattered detachments. But Titus stopped up all these passages.

5 In the course of these operations many on both sides were wounded and killed. Titus himself was struck on the left shoulder by a stone, and as a result of this accident that arm was always weaker. 2 In time, however, the Romans scaled the outside wall, and then, pitching their camp between this and the second circuit, proceeded to assault the latter. But here they found the conditions of fighting different; for now that all the besieged had retired behind the second wall, its defence proved an easier matter because its circuit was shorter. 3 Titus therefore once more made a proclamation offering them immunity. But even then they held out, and those of them that were taken captive or deserted kept secretly destroying the Romans' water supply and slaying any troops that they could isolate and cut off from the rest; hence Titus would no longer receive any Jewish deserters. 4 Meanwhile some of the Romans, too, becoming disheartened, as often happens in a protracted siege, and suspecting, furthermore, that the city was really impregnable, as was commonly reported, went over to the other side. The Jews, even though they were short of food, treated these recruits kindly, in order to be able to show that there were deserters to their side also.

6 Though a breach was made in the wall by means of engines, nevertheless, the capture of the place did not immediately follow even then. On the contrary, the defenders killed great numbers that tried to crowd through the opening, and they also set fire to some of the buildings near by, hoping thus to check the further progress of the Romans, even though they should gain possession of the wall. In this way they not only damaged the wall but at the same time unintentionally burned down the barrier around the sacred precinct, so that the entrance to the temple was now laid open to the Romans. 2 Nevertheless, the soldiers because of their superstition did not immediately rush in; but at last, under compulsion from Titus, they made their way inside. Then the Jews defended themselves much more vigorously than before, as if they had discovered a piece of rare good fortune in being able to fight near the temple and fall in its defence. The populace was stationed below in the court, the senators on the steps, and the priests in the sanctuary itself. 3 And though they were but a handful fighting against a far superior force, they were not conquered until a part of the temple was set on fire. Then they met death willingly, some throwing themselves on the swords of the Romans, some slaying one another, others taking their own lives, and still others leaping into the flames. And it seemed to everybody, and especially to them, that so far from being destruction, it was victory and salvation and happiness to them that they perished along with the temple.7 Yet even under these conditions many captives were taken, among them Bargiora, their leader; and he was the only one to be executed in connexion with the triumphal celebration.

2 Thus was [|Jerusalem] destroyed on the very day of Saturn, the day which even now the Jews reverence most. From that time forth it was ordered that the Jews who continued to observe their ancestral customs should pay an annual tribute of [|two denarii] to Jupiter Capitolinus. In consequence of this success both generals received the title of [|imperator], but neither got that of Judaïcus , although all the other honours that were fitting on the occasion of so magnificent a victory, including triumphal arches, were voted to them.  Analysis  The document entitled the destruction of the temple provides insight into Rome military tactics and policy against enemy nations. Titus was a renowned military commander and was left in charge of ending the Jewish rebellion when Vespasian left for Rome. At the beginning of the document Titus tried to win the Jewish people over through promises and other rewards. However, the Jewish rebels did not accept the offer, and Titus started to perform combat maneuvers against the rebels. However, even though Titus had declared war, he allowed the captured rebels to become become prisoners of war in the Roman camp. While in the camp the rebel prisoners of war would sabotage the Roman supply line. This development and the fact that the rebels would not surrender drove Titus into taking no prisoners. This instance is one example from the document that provides insight into Roman culture, and indicates that the Roman military in some cases tried to negotiate with an enemy force before engaging in combat. Another aspect of Roman combat the document addresses is the use of a siege engine to drive the enemy forces into surrender, however Jerusalem was a heavily fortified location, and the Romans had trouble cutting all outside ties to the city of Jerusalem. The siege of Jerusalem also  provides an example of the determination of the Roman military force to win against the enemy. The city of Jerusalem was well supplied and defended. However, the Romans cut off the supply tunnels and advanced through the Jerusalem defenses to crush the rebels that held out within the Jerusalem. The Romans destroyed the temple of Jerusalem and imposed new taxes on the Jewish people. This new tax was about two denarii. Also, the document provides insight into how the Romans dealt with a conquered nation. The document mentions that if the Jewish people wanted to continue ancestral customs they would have to pay a tax and the tax tax was to be paid to Jupiter Capitolinus. Also, the document explains how the Roman generals would revive a title. However, in some cases the honor was not given out to the generals, and the last section of the document provides an example of this. Not only does the document provide insight into the Roman military tactics, but also the tactics used by the Jewish rebels within the city. The rebels in Jerusalem received man power from the Middle East, members of the Rome Empire, and from the Euphrates region. This indicates that the cause of the rebel forces was not only limited to the city of Jerusalem, but spread throughout many different regions of the ancient world. Also, since the rebels were able to develop an effective supply line, by using the tunnels located under the city of Jerusalem. However, the document also provides insight into Roman supply lines and the troubles associated with them. The document mentions that the supply of water for Rome troops was poor and had to travel a long distance to reach the soldiers on the battlefield. With the Roman victory, the Jewish people were exiled to prevent another up rising from happening. The Romans exiled the Jewish people to Syria and Italy. In the end the Jerusalem was destroyed, the Jewish people were settled in various colonies around Judea and the Roman empire. Roman government officials wanted to prevent the restoration of the Jewish nation. Sources  R. Boak, Arthur E. Arthur E. R. Boak, A History of Rome to A. D. 565. 4th th ed. New York: Macmillan, 1955. http://www.ancient.eu.com/jerusalem/ http://preteristarchive.com/JewishWars/gs-siege.html http://hitch.south.cx/biblesidenotes-e01-Underg...usalem.htm http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Imperator http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Titus  []  []  []

<span style="color: #000066; display: block; font-family: Georgia,Palatino,serif; font-size: medium; text-align: justify;">Questions <span style="color: #000066; display: block; font-family: Georgia,Palatino,serif; font-size: medium; text-align: justify;"><span style="color: #0003ff; font-family: 'Times New Roman',Times,serif; font-size: 90%;">**1. Where did the Romans draw their source of water to supply Roman troops with during the battle that occurred in Jerusalem? Also, why was the water poor in quality and from a long distance.** <span style="color: #000066; display: block; font-family: Georgia,Palatino,serif; font-size: medium; text-align: justify;"><span style="color: #0003ff; font-family: 'Times New Roman',Times,serif; font-size: 90%;">This question was a bit general, and I have not had much luck in finding an answer to this question. <span style="color: #000066; display: block; font-family: Georgia,Palatino,serif; font-size: medium; text-align: justify;">**<span style="color: #0003ff; font-family: 'Times New Roman',Times,serif; font-size: 90%;">2. How did the defenders of Jerusalem create the underground passages and how many of these passages were used/created? ** <span style="color: #0003ff; font-family: 'Times New Roman',Times,serif; font-size: 110%;"> The hyper link on the passages provides a lot of information on the underground passages. The site lists three major underground passages:Solomon's Quarries, Hezekiah's tunnel and Solomon's stables. This passages were craved by hand and tools. The passages were originally used as underground vaults. ==<span style="color: #0003ff; font-family: 'Times New Roman',Times,serif; font-size: 90%;">3.<span style="color: #0003ff; font-family: 'Times New Roman',Times,serif;">Why did Titus offer immunity to the defenders of Jerusalem/took prisoners, and then began to kill/take no prisoners? == <span style="color: #0003ff; font-family: 'Times New Roman',Times,serif; font-size: 110%;">Titus wanted to try to make a bargain with the Jewish rebels, however the Jewish Rebels did not want to surrender. The Jewish culture valued religion and nationalism as part of the same animal. Religion to the Jewish rebel was a source for independence and by surrendered to the Roman would be hurting their national pride. Also, the Jewish prisoners within the Rome camp would sabotage the Roman water supply, and by not taking prisoners the threat was ended. ==<span style="color: #0003ff; font-family: 'Times New Roman',Times,serif; font-size: 90%;">4.<span style="color: #0003ff; font-family: 'Times New Roman',Times,serif;"> How did the defenders of Jerusalem get supplied when the Romans where attacking the city, and when supply lines where cut how did the defenders manage to last out in the city? == ====<span style="color: #0003ff; font-family: 'Times New Roman',Times,serif; font-size: 110%;">The defenders of Jerusalem were able to use the tunnels under the city to carry supplies into the city, and the tunnels were used as a way to catch the Roman soldiers off guard and cause havoc. The Jewish Rebels were able to hold out due to nationalism in a sense. Their political and religious beliefs were tied together, and to surrender would be to liking surrendering their religious independence to the Romans. ====

<span style="color: #0003ff; font-family: 'Times New Roman',Times,serif; font-size: 90%;">5. How much is two denari?
<span style="color: #0003ff; font-family: 'Times New Roman',Times,serif; font-size: 110%;">Two denari is about 40 dollars in current money. In ancient Rome the denari was worth ten asses, so two denari would have been equal to twenty asses. I really like the detail of your analysis, you put a lot of thought into it. I would really like to see some more in-depth analysis of the text itself, because I am not seeing much of that. Otherwise, I think you did well with a source that did not have a lot of conceivable questions. -Josh Kaylor <span style="color: #008080; font-family: Arial,Helvetica,sans-serif; font-size: small;">Your analysis was very in depth. I agree that there is a lack of the text itself being analyzed. You put a lot of effort into the document and you related it to both militaries well. Overall your summary was clear and concise. <span style="color: #008080; font-family: Arial,Helvetica,sans-serif; font-size: small;">Alexandra Watkins

<span style="color: #008080; font-family: Arial,Helvetica,sans-serif; font-size: small;">I liked the sources you cited. This was very informative. One thing I would add to this is how the romans also split up a lot of jewish people and sent them all over the empire. While the destruction of the temple is significant and what this source focuses on, you might want to add the consequences that the jewish people paid by being exiled. this I would do as a brief conclusion (couple sentences) to the end of your Analysis. Overall, I enjoyed reading the wiki. - Mark Dzakowic <span style="color: #000066; display: block; font-family: Georgia,Palatino,serif; font-size: medium; text-align: justify;">Links <span style="color: #000066; display: block; font-family: Georgia,Palatino,serif; font-size: medium; text-align: justify;"> Early Life of Vespasian <span style="color: #000066; font-family: Georgia,Palatino,serif; font-size: 110%;">This article covers a bit about Judea. In the article the reader learns about the interaction between the Jewish people and the Romans. Also, the readers learns about the revolts of the Jewish people and how the Jewish revolts caused problems for the Roman empire. The mention of a belief that Judea would be rule rule the world is mentioned within the article and how the rebels killed the governor of Judea.

<span style="color: #000066; font-family: Georgia,Palatino,serif; font-size: 130%;">Caesar as Military Commander This link provides insight into Roman military tactics.The document above mentions how the Romans would conduct a siege and the tactics used in a successful siege. The reader can learn about other forms of Roman military tactics and social structure by reviewing the link.

Scipio's Siege of New Carthage This document provides more insight into the Roman siege engine. Also, explains how the Romans would use the siege engine to bring cities like Carthage and Jerusalem to the point were they would have to surrender to the Roman forces. The link also address the military strength and organization of the Romans on the battlefield.