Above: Map during the First War between Jews and Romans (click map to enlarge)

Romans and Jews started the fight because the Roman king Caligula had proclaimed himself God and asked his subjects, all temples should have his statues. The Jews refused to do so and prepared for a revolt against the Romans. Initially the son of the Roman high priest himself helped the first revolt. The revolt started when the Greeks purposely started sacrificing birds in front of a local synagogue.

Above: Carving of Roman General Vespasian

During the first attack, the pro-Roman king Agrippa lost miserably and surrendered themselves to the Romans, the Syrian army which was pro-Rome again tried to bring order to the state by attacking the region. However, he was miserably defeated by the Jews. After this incident Emperor Nero appointed general Vespasian and along with him 60000 soldiers to attack the Jews, these professional soldiers started clearing towns one by one, some of the towns however gave up without any resistance. Slowly the Jewish resistance was crushed by the Romans.

Above: Painting of City of Jerusalem under sieged by Roman soldiers

Though the Romans had begun the siege of Jerusalem early in the war, the walled city made it difficult for the Romans to entered. However, the Romans did not give up. They stationed themselves out of the boundaries of the wall. They made their camp in the grounds outside the city.

Above: Soldiers and civilians in Jerusalem killed during Romans assault

However, they accepted the tactics that anyone who would try to go out of the city would be taken crucified and killed against the high wall. Towards the end of siege there were tens of thousands of bodies outside the city of Jerusalem, of people who had been killed while trying to escape the city.

Above: Picture of Titus Flacios Vespasianus

During the final siege of the city, Titus Flavius, son of Vespasian, tried to provoke the Jews for a war instead of negotiating. In order to provoke them further, he burned all the supplies of food. This was the reason why there were many people dead due to starvation that due to the battle.

Above: Painting of the city of Jerusalem

Titus was determined to wipe out any Jewish resistance, therefore he searched for all the Jews and crushed any of the last remnants of the Jewish resistance. He did not quit searching for quite sometime. He searched for people for almost three years even after Jerusalem had been won over.

Above: Painting depicting destruction that war has brought to Jerusalem

The Romans started by attacking the third wall of the city, which was newly built therefore was the weakest of all and also there was not much done for this wall. Later, they started breaking down the other walls too and entered the city. However, the Jewish people of Jerusalem fought till the end. Anyone and everyone who could battle with arms, did so including women and children, who fought with equal zeal. They were not interested in a life resulting in expulsion and would not mind death fighting for freedom.

Above: Pictures of ancient ruin fortresses of Jerusalem

Later Titus proceeded back to Rome and appointed a new governor to clear out any more resistant from the Jewish, the Romans started capturing one fortress after another. They captured the fortresses of Herodium, Machaerus and the last one the was the main fortress for the Jewish called the Masada. Several Jewish committed mass suicide, rather than surrender.

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