Judaea. Jerusalem. First Jewish War AD 66-70.
Prutah Æ

18 mm, 1,71 g

Amphora / Vine leaf on branch with tendril.

Very Fine

Hendin 1360; Meshorer 196.

The First Jewish-Roman War, also known as the Great Jewish Revolt, took place between AD 66 and 73 in the Roman province of Judea (modern-day Israel and Palestine). It was a major conflict between the Jewish population and the Roman Empire, sparked by tensions over Roman rule and heavy taxation. The revolt began in AD 66 when Jewish rebels in Jerusalem and other parts of Judea rose up against Roman authority. The initial uprising was fueled by resentment against Roman oppression, religious tensions, and economic hardships imposed by Roman taxation policies. The rebels managed to seize control of Jerusalem and expelled the Roman garrison stationed there. In response, the Roman Emperor Nero dispatched a large force under the command of Vespasian to suppress the revolt. Vespasian's son, Titus, later took over command after Vespasian was proclaimed emperor in AD 69. The Romans besieged Jerusalem and after a long and brutal siege, they breached the city walls in AD 70. The Second Temple, the holiest site in Judaism, was destroyed during the siege, which had profound religious and cultural implications for the Jewish people. Despite the fall of Jerusalem, Jewish resistance continued in various fortresses and strongholds across Judea. The last stronghold of the rebels, Masada, fell to the Romans in AD 73, marking the end of organized Jewish resistance in the war. The war resulted in a devastating loss of life among the Jewish population and led to widespread dispersion and diaspora of Jews throughout the Roman Empire and beyond. The First Jewish-Roman War had significant historical repercussions, including the eventual transformation of Judaism as a religion centered around synagogues rather than the Temple cult, and it set the stage for the Bar Kokhba revolt (AD 132-136) which further shaped Jewish identity and relations with the Roman Empire.