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70 CEReputable source · 2 sourcesWell documented

Rome Destroys the Second Temple

A siege timed to Passover ends with the Temple in flames and Jerusalem in ruins

On the timeline · around 70 CE · Rabbinic and Medieval JudaismSecond Temple and ExileRabbinic and Medieval JudaismRome Destroys the Second Temple100 BCE1 CE100 CE200 CE300 CE400 CE500 CE

Quick facts

Siege begins
April 70 CE
Roman commander
Titus (later Emperor)
Revolt underway since
66 CE
Commemoration
Tisha B'Av, annual fast day

What happened

Judea had been in open revolt against Rome since 66 CE. In April 70 CE, around Passover, the Roman general Titus besieged Jerusalem, letting pilgrims enter the city for the festival but not leave, which strained its food and water supplies while internal Jewish factions, including the Zealots, fought each other inside the walls. Roman legionnaires stormed the Temple and, according to World History Encyclopedia, set it on fire without orders from Titus; the Romans then plundered and destroyed it, sacking the Lower City as well. Titus and his father, Emperor Vespasian, celebrated the victory with a triumph in Rome, parading the Temple's spoils, including its menorah, alongside captives.

Why it matters

The destruction of the Second Temple ended sacrificial worship and priestly authority as the center of Jewish religious life for good; unlike the Babylonian destruction of the First Temple, this loss proved permanent, forcing Judaism to reorganize itself around synagogues, prayer, and rabbinic teaching rather than a central sanctuary, a transformation that defines Judaism as it has been practiced ever since. The date is still mourned annually on the fast of Tisha B'Av.

How we know

The siege and destruction of Jerusalem are described in detail by the eyewitness historian Flavius Josephus, a participant in the war, and corroborated by Roman sources including Tacitus and by archaeological destruction layers excavated across Jerusalem's Old City.

Sources

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Part of a timelineHistory of Judaism26 events · A small highland people, a book that outlasted every empire that tried to erase it, and a faith that survived exile twice and built a state a third timeView all →
Rome Destroys the Second Temple · History of Judaism · SourcedStory