Editing Titus (section)

===Judaean campaigns===
{{Further|First Jewish-Roman War}}
[[Image:First century Iudaea province.gif|thumb|250px|The [[Iudaea Province|province of Judaea]] during the 1st century.]]

In 66, the [[Jews]] of the [[Judaea Province]] [[First Jewish-Roman War|revolted against the Roman Empire]]. [[Cestius Gallus]], the [[Roman Syria|legate of Syria]], was defeated at [[Battle of Beth Horon (66)|the battle of]] [[Beth-Horon]] and forced to retreat from [[Jerusalem]].<ref>[[Josephus]], ''[[The Wars of the Jews]]'' [[s:The War of the Jews/Book II#Chapter 19|II.19.9]]</ref> The pro-Roman King [[Agrippa II]] and his sister [[Berenice (daughter of Agrippa I)|Berenice]] fled the city to [[Galilee]], where they later gave themselves up to the Romans.<ref name="ReferenceA">[[Josephus]], ''[[The Wars of the Jews]]'' [[s:The War of the Jews/Book III#Chapter 1|III.1.2]]</ref>

Nero appointed Vespasian to put down the rebellion, who was dispatched to the region at once with the [[Legio V Macedonica|Fifth Legion]] and [[Legio X Fretensis|Tenth Legion]].<ref name="ReferenceA"/> He was later joined at [[Acre, Israel|Ptolemais]] by Titus with the [[Fifteenth Legion]].<ref name="josephus-wars-iii-4-2">Josephus, ''The War of the Jews'' [[s:The War of the Jews/Book III#Chapter 4|III.4.2]]</ref> With a strength of 60,000 professional soldiers, the Romans prepared to sweep across Galilee and march on Jerusalem.<ref name="josephus-wars-iii-4-2"/>

The history of the war was covered in detail by the Roman-Jewish historian [[Josephus]] in his work ''[[The War of the Jews]]''. Josephus served as a commander in the city of [[Yodfat]] when the Roman army invaded Galilee in 67. After an exhausting siege which lasted 47 days, the city fell, with an estimated 40,000 killed. Titus, however, was not simply set on ending the war.<ref>[[Josephus]], ''[[The Wars of the Jews]]'' [[s:The War of the Jews/Book III#Chapter 7|III.7.34]]</ref>

Surviving one of several group suicides, Josephus surrendered to Vespasian and became a prisoner. He later wrote that he had provided the Romans with intelligence on the ongoing revolt.<ref>[[Josephus]], ''[[The Wars of the Jews]]'' [[s:The War of the Jews/Book III#Chapter 8|III.8.8]]</ref> By 68, the entire coast and the north of Judaea were subjugated by the Roman Army, with decisive victories won at [[Magdala|Taricheae]] and [[Gamala]], where Titus distinguished himself as a skilled general.<ref name="suetonius-titus-4"/><ref>[[Josephus]], ''[[The Wars of the Jews]]'' [[s:The War of the Jews/Book III#Chapter 10|III.10]]</ref>

====Year of the Four Emperors====
[[Image:Roman Empire 69.svg|thumb|350px|A map of the Roman Empire during the [[Year of the Four Emperors]] (AD 69). Blue areas indicate provinces loyal to Vespasian and [[Gaius Licinius Mucianus]].]]

The last and most significant fortified city held by the [[Zealotry|Jewish resistance]] was Jerusalem. The campaign came to a sudden halt when news arrived of Nero's death.<ref name="josephus-wars-iv-9-2">[[Josephus]], ''[[The Wars of the Jews]]'' [[s:The War of the Jews/Book IV#Chapter 9|IV.9.2]]</ref> Almost simultaneously, the [[Roman Senate]] had declared [[Galba]], the governor of [[Hispania]], as emperor. Vespasian decided to await further orders and sent Titus to greet the new ''[[princeps]]''.<ref>[[Tacitus]], ''[[Histories (Tacitus)|Histories]]'' [[s:The Histories (Tacitus)/Book 2#1|II.1]]</ref>

Before reaching Italy, Titus learnt that Galba had been murdered and replaced by [[Otho]], the governor of [[Lusitania]], and that [[Vitellius]] and his armies in [[Germania]] were preparing to march on the capital, intent on overthrowing Otho. Not wanting to risk being taken hostage by one side or the other, he abandoned the journey to Rome and rejoined his father in Judaea.<ref name="tacitus-histories-ii-2">[[Tacitus]], ''[[Histories (Tacitus)|Histories]]'' [[s:The Histories (Tacitus)/Book 2#2|II.2]]</ref> Meanwhile, Otho was defeated in the [[First Battle of Bedriacum]] and committed suicide.<ref>[[Tacitus]], ''[[Histories (Tacitus)|Histories]]'' [[s:The Histories (Tacitus)/Book 2#41|II.41–49]]</ref>

When the news reached the armies in Judaea and [[Ægyptus]], they took matters into their own hands and declared Vespasian emperor on 1 July 69.<ref>[[Josephus]], ''[[The Wars of the Jews]]'' [[s:The War of the Jews/Book IV#Chapter 10|IV.10.4]]</ref> Vespasian accepted and, after negotiations by Titus, joined forces with [[Gaius Licinius Mucianus]], governor of Syria.<ref>[[Tacitus]], ''[[Histories (Tacitus)|Histories]]'' [[s:The Histories (Tacitus)/Book 2#5|II.5]]</ref> A strong force drawn from the Judaean and Syrian legions marched on Rome under the command of Mucianus, and Vespasian travelled to [[Alexandria]], leaving Titus in charge to end the Jewish rebellion.<ref>[[Josephus]], ''[[The Wars of the Jews]]'' [[s:The War of the Jews/Book IV#Chapter 11|IV.11.1]]</ref><ref>[[Tacitus]], ''[[Histories (Tacitus)|Histories]]'' [[s:The Histories (Tacitus)/Book 2#82|II.82]]</ref> By the end of 69, the forces of Vitellius had been beaten, and Vespasian was officially declared emperor by the Senate on 21 December, thus ending the [[Year of the Four Emperors]].<ref>[[Tacitus]], ''[[Histories (Tacitus)|Histories]]'' [[s:The Histories (Tacitus)/Book 4#3|IV.3]]</ref>

====Siege of Jerusalem====
{{Main|Siege of Jerusalem (AD 70)}}
[[File:04 2022 Roma (Arco di Trionfo di Tito- Bassorilievi) FO228683 bis Photo by Paolo Villa.jpg|thumb|[[Arch of Titus]]: North inner panel, relief of Titus as ''triumphator'']]
[[File:04 2022 Roma (Arco di Trionfo di Tito- Bassorilievi) FO228685 bis Photo by Paolo Villa.jpg|thumb|[[Arch of Titus]]: South inner panel, close-up of [[relief]] showing spoils from the [[Siege of Jerusalem (70 CE)|fall of Jerusalem]]]]
[[File:Nicolas Poussin - The Conquest of Jerusalem by Emperor Titus - Google Art Project.jpg|thumb|''Conquest of Jerusalem by Emperor Titus'', by [[Nicolas Poussin]] (1638), depicts the destruction and looting of the Second Temple]]
Meanwhile, the Jews had become embroiled in a civil war of their own by splitting the resistance in Jerusalem among several factions. The [[Sicarii]], led by [[Menahem ben Judah]], could hold on for long; the [[Zealots]], led by [[Eleazar ben Simon]], eventually fell under the command of the Galilean leader [[John of Gischala|John of Gush Halav]]; and the other northern rebel commander, [[Simon Bar Giora]], managed to gain leadership over the [[Edom|Idumeans]].<ref>[[Josephus]], ''[[The Wars of the Jews]]'' [[s:The War of the Jews/Book V#Chapter 1|V.1.4]]</ref> Titus [[Siege of Jerusalem (70)|besieged Jerusalem]]. The Roman Army was joined by the [[Legio XII Fulminata|Twelfth Legion]], which had been previously defeated under [[Cestius Gallus]], and from Alexandria, Vespasian sent [[Tiberius Julius Alexander]], governor of Egypt, to act as Titus' second in command.<ref>[[Josephus]], ''[[The Wars of the Jews]]'' [[s:The War of the Jews/Book V#Chapter 1|V.1.6]]</ref>

Titus surrounded the city with three legions (Vth, XIIth and XVth) on the western side and one (Xth) on the [[Mount of Olives]] to the east. He put pressure on the food and water supplies of the inhabitants by allowing pilgrims to enter the city to celebrate [[Passover]] and then refusing them egress. Jewish raids continuously harassed the Roman Army, one of which nearly resulted in Titus being captured.<ref>[[Josephus]], ''[[The Wars of the Jews]]'' [[s:The War of the Jews/Book V#Chapter 2|V.2.2]]</ref>

After attempts by Josephus to negotiate a surrender had failed, the Romans resumed hostilities and quickly breached the first and second walls of the city.<ref>[[Josephus]], ''[[The Wars of the Jews]]'' [[s:The War of the Jews/Book V#Chapter 6|V.6–V.9]]</ref> To intimidate the resistance, Titus ordered deserters from the Jewish side to be [[crucified]] around the city wall.<ref>[[Josephus]], ''[[The Wars of the Jews]]'' [[s:The War of the Jews/Book V#Chapter 11|V.11.1]]</ref> By that time the Jews had been exhausted by famine, and when the weak third wall was breached, bitter street fighting ensued.<ref>[[Josephus]], ''[[The Wars of the Jews]]'' [[s:The War of the Jews/Book VI#Chapter 2|VI.2–VI.3]]</ref>

The Romans finally captured the [[Antonia Fortress]] and began a frontal assault on the gates of the [[Second Temple]].<ref>[[Josephus]], ''[[The Wars of the Jews]]'' [[s:The War of the Jews/Book VI#Chapter 4|VI.4.1]]</ref> As they breached the gate, the Romans set the upper and lower city aflame, culminating with the destruction of the Temple. When the fires subsided, Titus gave the order to destroy the remainder of the city, allegedly intending that no one would remember the name Jerusalem.<ref>[[Sulpicius Severus]], ''Chronicles'' [http://www.thelatinlibrary.com/sulpiciusseveruschron2.html II].30.6–7. For [[Tacitus]] as the source, see {{Cite journal|author=T.D. Barnes |date=July 1977 |title=The Fragments of Tacitus' ''Histories'' |journal=Classical Philology |volume=72 |issue=3 |pages=224–231, pp. 226–228 | doi = 10.1086/366355|s2cid=161875316 }}</ref> The Temple was demolished, Titus's soldiers proclaimed him ''[[imperator]]'' in honour of the victory.<ref>[[Josephus]], ''[[The Wars of the Jews]]'' [[s:The War of the Jews/Book VI#Chapter 6|VI.6.1]]</ref>

[[Destruction of Jerusalem|Jerusalem was sacked]] and much of the population killed or dispersed. Josephus claims that 1,100,000 people were killed during the siege, most of whom were Jewish.<ref name="josephus-wars-vi-9">[[Josephus]], ''[[The Wars of the Jews]]'' [[s:The War of the Jews/Book VI#Chapter 9|VI.9.3]]</ref> Josephus's death toll assumptions are rejected as impossible by modern scholarship since about a million people then lived in the Land of Israel, half of them Jewish, and sizable Jewish populations remained in the area after the war was over, even in the hard-hit region of Judea.<ref name="Schwartz">{{cite encyclopedia |encyclopedia=The Cambridge History of Judaism: Volume 4, The Late Roman-Rabbinic Period |editor-first1=William David |editor-last1=Davies |editor-first2=Louis |editor-last2=Finkelstein |editor-first3=Steven T. |editor-last3=Katz |publisher=[[Cambridge University Press]] |year=1984 |first=Seth |last=Schwartz |title=Political, social and economic life in the land of Israel |url=https://books.google.com/books?id=BjtWLZhhMoYC |page=24|isbn=978-0521772488 }}</ref> However, 97,000 were captured and enslaved, including Simon Bar-Giora and John of [[Gischala]].<ref name="josephus-wars-vi-9"/> Many fled to areas around the [[Mediterranean Sea]]. Titus reportedly refused to accept a [[wreath of victory]], as he claimed that he had not won the victory on his own but had been the vehicle through which their God had manifested his wrath against his people.<ref>[[Philostratus]], ''The Life of Apollonius of Tyana'' [https://www.livius.org/ap-ark/apollonius/life/va_6_26.html#%A729 6.29] {{Webarchive|url=https://web.archive.org/web/20160315005913/http://www.livius.org/ap-ark/apollonius/life/va_6_26.html#%A729 |date=15 March 2016 }}</ref>

The [[Jewish diaspora]] during the Temple's destruction, according to [[Josephus]], was in [[Parthia]] (Persia), [[Babylonia]] (Iraq), and [[Arabia]], and some were beyond the [[Euphrates]] and in [[Adiabene]] (Kurdistan).<ref>{{PACEJ|text=JW|bookno=1|chap=1|sec=5|show-translator=no|show-source=no|abbr=yes}}</ref>