Siege of Yodfat

Siege of Yodfat
Part of First Jewish-Roman War
Hilltop location of ancient Yodfat
Date Summer 67 AD Location Galilee, modern-day Israel. 32°49′56″N 35°16′39″E / 32.83222°N 35.27750°E / 32.83222; 35.27750 Result Roman victory
Belligerents
Galilean Jews	Roman Empire
Commanders and leaders
Yosef Ben Matityahu	Titus Flavius Vespasianus
Strength
~42,000, including non-combatants.	60,000, including 3 Legions, auxiliaries and allies.
Casualties and losses
40,000 slain, 1,200 enslaved.	Unknown

The Siege of Yodfat (Hebrew: יוֹדְפַת‎, also Jotapata, Iotapata, Yodefat) was a 47-day siege by Roman forces of the Jewish town of Yodfat which took place in 67 AD, during the Great Revolt. Led by Roman General Vespasian and his son Titus, both future emperors, the siege ended with the sacking of the town, the deaths of most of its inhabitants and the enslavement of the rest. It was the second bloodiest battle of the revolt, surpassed only by the Siege of Jerusalem, and the longest except for Jerusalem and Masada. The siege was chronicled by Josephus, who had personally commanded the Jewish forces at Yodfat and was subsequently captured by the Romans.

Judaea had been a troubled region throughout the 1st century CE, torn between different religious sects, struggling to fit into the Roman system and subject to Roman procurators who were often corrupt and repressive. A major rebellion finally erupted in 66 AD and a rebel government established in Jerusalem. When Cestius Gallus, the legate of Syria, failed to take Jerusalem and was then ambushed at Beth Horon, the rebellion spread into the kingdom of Agrippa II, including the Galilee. Emperor Nero thereupon called upon Vespasian, a distinguished veteran of the conquest of Britannia, to suppress the rebellion. In April 67 Vespasian, accompanied by legions X Fretensis and V Macedonica, landed at Ptolemais. There he was joined by Titus, who had arrived from Alexandria at the head of Legio XV Apollinaris, and by the armies of various local allies including that of king Agrippa II. Fielding more than 60,000 soldiers, Vespasian proceeded with an invasion of the Galilee. The Jews had failed to establish an effective field army and Vespasian's campaign was therefore dominated by sieges. The rebel government in Jerusalem had assigned command of both Galilee and the Golan to Yosef Ben Matityahu (the future Josephus) who, according to Josephus himself, had prior to the Roman invasion fortified 19 of the most important towns of the region, including Yodfat. After a failed attempt to confront the Roman army at Sepphoris, Josephus had retired to Tiberias, but soon established himself at Yodfat, drawing the Roman legions to the town.

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