18 Massacres of the Ancient World

18. The Third Jewish-Roman War led to wholesale slaughter

The Third Jewish-Roman War, which was a revolt in Judea fought between 132 – 136 CE, saw the Jewish forces led by Simon bar Kokhba, who claimed the title of Prince of Judea and was believed by many of his followers to be the Messiah, a belief which he did nothing to discourage, attempt to depose Roman rule. In the beginning the revolt went well for the Jewish forces, and the reports to Rome of military defeats, and the massacre of Roman troops upon their capture at the hands of Jewish troops and citizens, led Emperor Hadrian to dispatch strong reinforcements to the region, which arrived in 134 CE. From that point until the end of the revolt, Jewish troops and civilians were brutally crushed by the Romans, their cities and towns destroyed, and their crops seized.

At least two Roman legions were so reduced by casualties that they were disbanded, the remaining troops absorbed into other Roman units. Total Roman casualties during the war are estimates, but were well over 100,000, and possibly more than twice that number. By comparison 580,000 Jews were killed during the revolt, approximately 400,000 of them in battle with the Romans, or executed after being captured in battle. Jewish Christians who refused to join in the revolt, which was led by Pharisees and Samaritans, were tortured and persecuted by their fellow Jews for their reticence. Bar Kokhba’s followers also persecuted the Greek and Roman civilians in the region throughout the revolt. Both sides committed multiple atrocities against the other during a war as brutal as any fought in the ancient world.