Editing 70s

{{short description|Eighth decade of the first century AD}}
{{About|the years AD 70–79|the years 70–79 in other centuries|List of decades}}
{{distinguish|1870s|1970s|2070s}}
[[File:David Roberts - The Siege and Destruction of Jerusalem by the Romans Under the Command of Titus, A.D. 70.jpg|thumb|279x279px|19th-century painting depicting the [[Siege of Jerusalem (70 CE)|siege of Jerusalem (70)]].]]
{{Decadebox|7}}The '''70s''' was a decade that ran from January 1, AD 70, to December 31, AD 79.

As the decade began, the [[First Jewish–Roman War]] continued: In AD 70, the Romans [[Siege of Jerusalem (70 CE)|besieged and sacked Jerusalem]] and destroyed the [[Second Temple]]. After this major victory, the Romans continued to clear pockets of Jewish resistance, with the final stronghold taken being [[Siege of Masada|Masada (73)]]. The [[Flavian dynasty]], which included emperors [[Vespasian]] and [[Titus]], ruled the empire during this decade. During their reign, the Romans faced military challenges from various sources, including [[Roman conquest of Britain#AD 60–78|clashes with British]] [[Revolt of the Batavi|and Germanic tribes]]. However, the Romans were largely successful in defeating these tribes, expanding their territories and consolidating their power. Following the death of [[Vologases I of Parthia|Vologases I]] in 78, [[Parthia]] saw internal conflict as [[Vologases II of Parthia|Vologases II]] and [[Pacorus II]] competed for the throne. In China, the [[Han–Xiongnu War]] was [[Han–Xiongnu War#Control over the Western Regions|re-invigorated]], with the Han defeating the [[Xiongnu|Northern Xiongnu]] in the [[Battle of Yiwulu]] (73). In 75, [[Emperor Ming of Han]] died, being succeeded by [[Emperor Zhang of Han|Emperor Zhang]]: the reign of these two emperors is [[Rule of Ming and Zhang|considered to have been a golden age]].

The destruction of Jerusalem and the Second Temple during the [[First Jewish–Roman War]] marked a major turning point in Jewish history. The loss of mother-city and temple necessitated a reshaping of Jewish culture to ensure its survival. Judaism's Temple-based sects, including the [[Priesthood (ancient Israel)|priesthood]] and the [[Sadducees]], diminished in importance. A new form of [[Judaism]] that became known as [[Rabbinic Judaism]] developed out of [[Pharisees|Pharisaic school]] and, centuries later, eventually became the mainstream form of the religion. Many followers of [[Jesus|Jesus of Nazareth]] also survived the city's destruction. They spread his teachings across the Roman Empire, giving rise to the new religion of [[Christianity]].

In the autumn of 79, [[Eruption of Mount Vesuvius in 79 AD|Mount Vesuvius violently spewed]] forth a deadly cloud of super-heated tephra and gases to a height of {{convert|33|km|mi|abbr=on}}, ejecting [[Lava|molten rock]], pulverized [[pumice]] and [[Volcanic ash|hot ash]]. The event destroyed several towns and minor settlements in the area, at the time part of the [[Roman Empire]]. [[Pompeii]] and [[Herculaneum]], obliterated and buried underneath massive [[Pyroclastic surge|pyroclastic surges]] and [[Tuff|ashfall deposits]], are the most famous examples. The total population of both cities was over 20,000. The remains of over 1,500 people have been found at Pompeii and Herculaneum so far, although the total death toll from the eruption remains unknown.

The period also saw significant architectural and engineering accomplishments, such as the construction of the [[Colosseum]] in Rome. In 75, Vespasian erected a colossal statue of [[Apollo]], begun under [[Nero]], and he dedicated a stage of the theatre of Marcellus. [[Valerius Flaccus (poet)|Valerius Flaccus]] wrote the ''Argonautica'', an [[epic poem]]. [[Pliny the Elder]] composed the 10-volume [[Natural History (Pliny)|''Natural History'']], covering topics including [[astronomy]], [[mathematics]], [[geography]], [[ethnography]], [[anthropology]], human [[physiology]], [[zoology]], [[botany]], [[agriculture]], [[horticulture]], [[pharmacology]], [[Mining#Ancient Greece and Rome|mining]], [[mineralogy]], [[sculpture]], [[art]], and [[Engraved gem|precious stones]].

Manning (2008) tentatively estimates the world population in AD 70 to have been 250 million.<ref>{{Cite web |last=Manning |first=Scott |date=2008-01-12 |title=Year-by-Year World Population Estimates: 10,000 B.C. to 2007 A.D. |url=https://scottmanning.com/content/year-by-year-world-population-estimates/ |access-date=2023-03-05 |website=Historian on the Warpath |language=en-US}}</ref>{{Events by year for decade|7}}

==Significant people==
* [[Vespasian|Titus Flavius Vespasianus]], [[Roman Emperor]] ([[Vespasian]], [[AD 69]]–[[AD 79|79]])
* [[Titus|Titus Flavius Vespasianus]], [[Roman Emperor]] ([[Titus]], [[AD 79]]–[[AD 81|81]])

{{Births and deaths by year for decade|7}}
==References==
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