Siege of Jerusalem (37 BC)
Siege of Jerusalem | |||||||
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Part of Antony's Parthian War | |||||||
The taking of Jerusalem by Herod the Great, Jean Fouquet 1470–1475 | |||||||
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Belligerents | |||||||
Herodian dynasty Roman Republic | Hasmonean dynasty | ||||||
Commanders and leaders | |||||||
Herod Gaius Sosius | Antigonus II Mattathias | ||||||
Strength | |||||||
11 Roman legions 6,000 cavalry Auxiliaries[3] |
Part of a series on |
Jerusalem |
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Background
In 63 BC, following his victory in the
In 40 BC,
Between 39 and 38 BC, the Roman general
Siege
Herod had pitched his camp north of the
After forty days, Herod's forces breached what Josephus calls "the north wall", apparently Jerusalem's second wall. The first wall fell 15 days later, and soon the outer court of the Temple fell as well, during which its outer porticoes were burnt down, apparently by Antigonus' supporters. While Antigonus shut himself up in citadel known as the Baris, the defenders were left holding the Temple's inner court and Jerusalem's upper city (southwestern quarter of the city).[11][16][17] These now appealed to Herod to permit the passage of animals and other offerings into the temple for the sacrifices to continue.[11] During the siege Antigonus had used Herod's lack of pedigree as propaganda, calling him a "commoner and an Idumaean, that is a half-Jew", publicly questioning Herod's right to the throne.[14][18] Herod, fearful for his legitimacy and popularity, therefore complied with the requests. Further negotiations, however, proved fruitless and Herod's forces assaulted the city.[11][16] Having taken Jerusalem by storm and despite Herod's pleas for restraint, the troops now acted without mercy, pillaging and killing all in their path, prompting Herod to complain to Mark Antony.[11][17] Herod also attempted to prevent Roman soldiers from desecrating the temple's inner sanctuary, eventually bribing Sosius and his troops in order that they do not leave him "king of a desert".[14][19]
Aftermath
Antigonus surrendered to Sosius, and was sent to Antony for the triumphal procession in Rome. Herod, however, fearing that Antigonus would also win backing in Rome, bribed Antony to execute Antigonus. Antony, who recognized that Antigonus would remain a permanent threat to Herod, had the Hasmonean beheaded in Antioch, the first time the Romans had executed a subjugated king. Herod also had 45 leading men of Antigonus' party executed.[6][14]
With the fall of Jerusalem, Herod's conquest of the kingdom was complete. After consolidating his rule, he began systematically exterminating the Hasmonean line, which he perceived as a direct threat to his reign. Hyrcanus II, the last major scion of the Hasmoneans, was executed in 30 BC.[14][20] Herod would rule the Herodian kingdom until his death in 4 BC, an ever-faithful client king of Rome.
Herod's siege of Jerusalem may have inspired
Notes
- ^ capture of the city in 63 (36 BC). Emil Schürer (1891) tried to reconcile the two conflicting statements by proposing that Josephus counted the years inclusively, placing the siege in 37, and a majority of scholars have concurred with this view. Filmer, Steinmann and others argued that Josephus's reckoning of dates by Roman consuls is unreliable and conflicts with external evidence, and that 36 should be preferred.[1][2]
Citations
- ^ Filmer, pp. 285–287, 288–291, 292–293.
- ^ Steinmann, pp. 9–11, 29.
- ^ Josephus Antiquities of the Jews 14. 447, 469
- ^ a b Sicker 2001, p. 75
- ^ a b Rocca 2009, pp. 6–8
- ^ a b Armstrong 1996, p. 126
- ^ Josephus, The Wars of the Jews 1:282–285
- ^ Richardson 1996, p. 121
- ^ a b Huzar 1978, p. 174
- ^ Rocca 2009, pp. 24–34
- ^ a b c d e f Rocca 2008, pp. 45–47
- ^ Rocca 2009, p. 11
- ^ Josephus, The Wars of the Jews 1:345
- ^ JSTOR 1560892.
- ^ Josephus, The Wars of the Jews 1:347–353
- ^ a b c Josephus, Antiquities of the Jews 14:470–481
- ^ a b Rocca 2009, p. 35
- ^ Josephus, Antiquities of the Jews 14:403
- ^ Josephus, The Wars of the Jews 1:355
- ^ S2CID 162760444.
References
- Armstrong, Karen (1996). Jerusalem – One City. Three Faiths. New York: Ballantine Books. ISBN 978-0-345-39168-1.
- Filmer, W.E. (1966). "The Chronology of the Reign of Herod the Great". .
- Huzar, Eleanor Goltz (1978). Mark Antony, a biography. University of Minnesota Press. ISBN 978-0-8166-0863-8. Retrieved November 19, 2011.
- Josephus, Flavius. William Whiston, A.M., translator (1895). The Works of Flavius Josephus. Auburn and Buffalo, New York: John E. Beardsley. Retrieved 15 July 2010.
- Richardson, Peter (1996). Herod: king of the Jews and friend of the Romans. University of South Carolina Press. ISBN 978-1-57003-136-6. Retrieved November 19, 2011.
- Rocca, Samuel (2008). The Forts of Judaea 168 BC – AD 73. Oxford, United Kingdom: Osprey Publishing. ISBN 978-1-84603-171-7.
- Rocca, Samuel (2009). The Army of Herod the Great. Oxford, United Kingdom: Osprey Publishing. ISBN 978-1-84603-206-6.
- Sicker, Martin (2001). Between Rome and Jerusalem: 300 years of Roman-Judaean relations. Greenwood Publishing Group. ISBN 978-0-275-97140-3.
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