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Judea Capta
The story of a destruction
By Denis Ojalvo, Istanbul and A.Z.
Judea was named after Patriarch Abraham’s great grandson Yehuda who inherited the territory from Abraham’s grandson
Jacob (Israel). In 930 BCE when Solomon’s kingdom split into two after his death, the southern part was named Yehuda
= Judah. The subjects of that kingdom and their descendants are still known as Jews. Throughout history that geography
was known as Ioudaía by the Greeks, Iudaea or Judaea/Judea by the Romans and later as Yahudiya by the Arabs.
>> The Judea region covers today’s southern
Israel and southwestern Jordan. It has been
renamed in 135 CE as Syria Palæstina by the
Romans who intended to dissociate the region from its indigenous Jewish population
they ethnically cleansed by slaughter, enslavement and deportation.
The barren area of the region is still called The
Desert of Judah Sahr a Yahuda by the Arabs.
THE FIRST JEWISH ROMAN WAR
The Romans were the masters of the land
since they conquered it on 63 BCE from the
Jewish Hasmonean dynasty. In the year 66
CE Judea rebelled against the Roman Empire.
Emperor Nero had big building projects and
his tax collectors were corrupt.
The revolt occured because the Judaean population was upset of high taxes and obstructed
the sacrificial ceremonies conducted in Nero’s
honor.
Neither the local governor nor the commander of the Syrian region managed to quell the
rebellion.
Consequently Nero sent one of his successful generals who proved his skills during the
Roman campaign in Britain, Vespasian, and
appointed Vespasian’s son Titus with his army
in Alexandria to second him. Rome was in a
turmoil.
Emperor Nero died in 68. His successors
Galba (assassinated by his own guards), Otho
(committed suicide) and Vitellius (killed by
the supporters of Vespasian) did not last long.
Hence in 69 Vespasian became emperor.
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“According to
Flavius Josephus, 97.000
Jews were sold
into slavery and
1.100.000
perished by starvation, epidemics
and slaughter.”
Owing to the revolt Judea was ruined and
plundered by the Romans during the reign
of Vespasian who razed the Jewish Temple
in Jerusalem in 70. (King Solomon’s Temple
which was restored by King Herodes).
We owe the detailed account of the events
thanks to Yosef Ben Matityahu who was the
commander of the Jewish forces In the north
of Judea who fell captive to the Romans, was
pardoned by Vespasian and adopted Vespasian’s family and his son’s Titus names becoming famous as Titus Flavius Josephus.
Josephus’ book The Jewish War is full of
detailed somber accounts making it quite
difficult to read. According to Flavius Josephus, 97.000 Jews were sold into slavery and
1.100.000 perished by starvation, epidemics
and slaughter. The Jewish revolt lasted until
the defenders of the Massada fortress near the
Dead Sea committed suicide rather than surrender in 73. Titus successfully completed his
mission.
JUDEA CAPTA COINS
From 71 onwards Vespasian minted coins to
celebrate his victory over the Jews. While Judea is depicted as a mourning woman in a sitting position, victorious Rome is portrayed as
a standing and domineering legionnaire along
with the inscription JVDEA CAPTA (Captive) or IVDAEA DEVICTA (Conquered).
Many coins with similar themes have been
minted for a period of 25 more years under
Vespasian, his son Titus and Titus’ brother
Domitian
THE COLOSSEUM BUILT BY THE
SPOILS OF JUDEA AND THE JEWISH
TEMPLE IN JERUSALEM
The Romans did not celebrate their victory
over the jews only by minting coins. They
built the Colosseum in Rome thanks to riches
plundered in Judea and the Temple in Jerusalem. A solid evidence to that has been discovered in 1995 by Heidelberg University Professor Geza Alföldy who discovered that the
Lampadius Inscription about the restoration
of the Colosseum in the 440’s was carved on
a stele which had originally bronze letters on
it reading that the building was financed with
spoils.
In 81 Titus completed the building of the
Colosseum which his father Vespasian started in 70. Following Titus’ death, in 82, his
brother Domitian built an arch in his honor
in order to celebrate Titus’ victory over the
Jews. Titus’ Arch comports marble reliefs depicting the Seven branched Candelabrum and
the spoiling of the Temple in Jerusalem.
“The Romans
did not celebrate
their victory over
the jews only by
minting coins.
They built the
Colosseum in
Rome thanks
to riches plundered in Judea and the
Temple in Jerusalem.”
THE SECOND JEWISH ROMAN WAR –
REVOLTS IN EASTERN MEDITERRANEAN AND MESOPOTAMIA
Owing to religious frictions between the
Jews, the Greeks and the Romans, along with
strains stemming from excessive taxation, Jews
revolted again in 115 in the Eastern Mediterranean (Cyrenaica, Alexandria, Cyprus and
Judea) and in Mesopotamia against Emperor
Trajan who quelled the revolts in blood.
As a result, Rome was weakened and compelled to end its campaign against the Parths
(Iranians) When the hostilities ended so ended the Jewish existence in Cyprus and Cyrenaica. As well, Jews in Judea and Alexandria
were decimated.
THE THIRD AND FINAL JEWISH ROMAN WAR -THE BAR KOKHBA REVOLT- AND THE DEFINITIVE EXILE
OF THE JEWS FROM THEIR HOMELAND
In 123 the Jews of Judea started a guerilla
warfare against the Romans. Emperor Hadrian reacted by sending there the 6th Ferrata
Legion and by prohibiting the circumcision
ritual to the Jews. In 132 Hadrian decided
to build a temple for Jupiter on the ruins of
Solomon’s temple and changed Jerusalem’s
name into Aelia Capitolina. The Jews under the leadership of Shimon Bar Kokhba
revolted. Hadrian had to bring in 12 legion
Armies from Britain, Spain, Egypt, Syria
and other regions. The revolt was quelled in
three years with significant Roman casualties and 580.000 Judean casualties.1 50 fortified and 985 unfortified towns were razed
to the ground. The Jews were sold to slavery
and were exiled to Egypt2. In 135 CE the
Romans changed the name of Provincia Judea into Provincia Syria Palaestina in order
to dissociate the region from its indigenous
Jewish population they ethnically cleansed by
slaughter, enslavement and deportation.
ADVENTVI AVG IVDAEAE COINS
Hadrian, like his predecessors, minted coins
to celebrate his victory: On the reverse of the
coin Hadrian is seen in front of a mendicating
woman depicting Judea. The woman holding a bowl and a cup is seen flanked with her
three children. The legend reads ADVENTVI
AVG IVDAEAE “The coming of Augustus
[the emperor] to Judaea”.
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