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Bar Kochba revolt

Bar Kokhba revolt
Part of the Jewish–Roman wars
PikiWiki Israel 19975 Archeological sites of Israel.jpg
An entrance into an excavated cave used by Bar Kokhba's rebels
Date 132–136 CE
(Fall of Betar falls traditionally on Tisha B'Av of 135)
Location Judea Province
Result

Decisive Roman victory:

  • Roman troops annihilation of Judean population
  • Suppression of Jewish religious and political autonomy by Hadrian
  • Jews banned from Jerusalem
Territorial
changes
Judea renamed and merged into the Syria Palaestina province.
Belligerents
Vexilloid of the Roman Empire.svg Roman Empire Judea under Bar Kokhba
Commanders and leaders
Vexilloid of the Roman Empire.svg Hadrian
Vexilloid of the Roman Empire.svg Tineius Rufus
Vexilloid of the Roman Empire.svg Gargilius Antiques
Vexilloid of the Roman Empire.svg Sextus Julius Severus
Vexilloid of the Roman Empire.svg Publicius Marcellus
Vexilloid of the Roman Empire.svg T. Haterius Nepos
Vexilloid of the Roman Empire.svg Q. Lollius Urbicus
Shimon bar Kokhba 
Eleazar of Modi'im 
Rabbi Akiva Executed
Yeshua ben Galgula 
Yonatan ben Baiin
Masbelah ben Shimon
Elazar ben Khita
Yehuda bar Menashe
Shimon ben Matanya
Strength
Legio III Cyrenaica
Legio X Fretensis
Legio VI Ferrata
Legio III Gallica
Legio XXII Deiotariana
Legio X Gemina
Legio V Macedonica
Legio XI Claudia
Legio II Traiana
Legio XII Fulminata
Total 6 full legions and units from 6 more:
60,000–120,000
200,000–400,000b Jewish militiamen
Casualties and losses
Legio XXII Deiotariana destroyeda
Legio IX Hispana possibly destroyed
Legio X Fretensis – sustained heavy casualties
200,000–400,000 Jewish militiamen killed
Total: 580,000 Jews killed, 50 fortified towns and 985 villages razed; "many more" Jews dying of famine and disease.a
Massive Roman military casualtiesa

[a] - per Cassius Dio

[b] - according to Rabbinic sources

Decisive Roman victory:

[a] - per Cassius Dio

The Bar Kokhba revolt (Hebrew: מרד בר כוכבא‎; Mered Bar Kokhba) was a rebellion of the Jews of the Roman province of Judea, led by Simon bar Kokhba, against the Roman Empire. Fought circa 132–136 CE, it was the last of three major Jewish–Roman wars, so it is also known as The Third Jewish–Roman War or The Third Jewish Revolt. Some historians also refer to it as the Second Revolt of Judea, not counting the Kitos War (115–117 CE), which had only marginally been fought in Judea.

The revolt erupted as a result of ongoing religious and political tensions in Judea following on the failure of the First Revolt in 66−70 CE. These tensions were related to the establishment of a large Roman presence in Judea, changes in administrative life and the economy, together with the outbreak and suppression of Jewish revolts from Mesopotamia to Libya and Cyrenaica. The proximate reasons seem to centre around the proscription of circumcision, the construction of a new city, Aelia Capitolina, over the ruins of Jerusalem, and the erection of a temple to Jupiter on the Temple Mount. The Church Fathers and rabbinic literature emphasize governor of Judaea Rufus' role in provoking the revolt.

In 132, a revolt led by Bar Kokhba quickly spread from Modi'in across the country, cutting off the Roman garrison in Jerusalem.Roman Governor Rufus then unsuccessfully engaged the early phase of the uprising. Rufus is last recorded in 132, the first year of the rebellion; whether he died or was replaced is uncertain, but Gargilius Antiques is recorded as the Roman Prefect of Judea during the conflict. Initial rebel victories over the Romans established an independent state of Israel over parts of Judea for over two years, as Bar Kokhba took the title of Nasi ("prince"). Simon bar Kokhba, the commander of the revolt, was regarded by many Jews as the Messiah, who would restore their national independence. This setback, however, caused Roman Emperor Hadrian to assemble a large scale Roman force from across the Empire, which invaded Judea in 134 under the command of Roman General Sextus Julius Severus. The Roman army was made of six full legions with auxiliaries and elements from up to six additional legions, which finally managed to crush the revolt.


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