| The Romans burned the Temple in 70 AD and burned/sacked the city in 135 AD.
132-135 - Bar Kochba's revolt; a messianic attempt to free Judea from Roman
rule. Hadrian was the emperor. Judea was on the far eastern
border of the Roman empire, next to the Parthian empire. After
a too-costly war required to put down the revolt, the Romans
razed Jerusalem and exiled most of the remaining Jewish peasantry,
as an example to other subject peoples who might be inspired to
by their example to try gain their independence from Rome.
Jerusalem was rebuilt as a Roman garrison city, populated with
Roman soldiers and civilians only, to which Jews were not allowed
entry, and renamed 'Aelia Capitolina'. Roman coins were struck with
the legend 'Judea Capta est' (Judea is captured). It was very
important for Rome to keep Judea in the empire as a) a lesson
to the rest of the empire b) a tactic in restraining westward
expansion of the Parthian empire (once Judea fell, Egypt, the
breadbasket of the empire, might be in danger).
70 AD -- The Temple was destroyed following a Jewish uprising, which was
set off by the Jews' refusal to include worship of the Roman
emperors as divinities at the Temple. Jerusalem was burned as well,
but not as completely as it would be in 135.
Up until this time, the Romans had been
content to allow each subject peoples to follow their own religion
and have their own religious authorities, laws, cults, and rites.
Requiring acceptance of the emperor as a divinity was a major change
from this policy (sorry I forget which emperor did it), and caused
the first revolt against the Empire from within. There was a mass
exile of Jews from Judea, the Arch of Titus (who was the conquering
general) was built in Rome to commemorate this, and includes on
it bas-relief depictions of the menorah (the 7-branched candelabra
of the Temple) and other booty and of Jews in chains being led off
into exile. The arch can still be seen today in Rome.
(As an aside, it is thought by some that the Vatican
has in its possesion some of the booty Titus brought back from
Jerusalem, including perhaps the candelabra.) This happened in
the reign of Flavius Vespasianus. Josephus' "History of the
Jews" is the most detailed (AND it's contemporary) account of
this period -- available at most better book stores in cheap
paperback.
The Courtyard Wall -- is all that remains above ground of the Second Temple.
There have been alot of archeological excavations in Jerusalem
in the past century, and continuing today, and structures, streets,
ruins, etc from the Second Temple period (although mostly from
later periods) have been uncovered. Perhaps somebody who knows
could give you a list of what can be seen in Jerusalem that dates
back to before the Roman destruction in 70. (If noone takes up
the challenge, maybe I'll do the research....later).
'Aeolia Capitalina', coins were minted with the legend
Kathy
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