Summary: New evidence discovered in Israel demonstrates how the Roman army penetrated Jerusalem’s outer wall in AD 70 using ballista stones and other advanced arsenal.
And while some were speaking of the temple, how it was adorned with noble stones and offerings, he [Jesus] said, “As for these things that you see, the days will come when there will not be left here one stone upon another that will not be thrown down.” – Luke 21:5-6 (ESV)
The Ruthless War Machine of Rome
New research results concerning the method used by Roman forces to break through the outer fortification wall of Jerusalem were released this week by the Israel Antiquities Authority (IAA). Kfir Arbiv, IAA researcher, led excavations along with Dr. Rina Avner in the Russian Compound adjacent to the Jerusalem Municipality building.
“The Temple was destroyed in 70 CE, after a four-month siege and an intensive battle led by the Roman general Titus to conquer the city and suppress the revolt initiated by the Jews four years earlier. The Romans had a well-trained massive army, equipped with the best military innovations of their day. It was a ruthless war machine,” explained Arbiv.
The focus of Arbiv’s research was the hundreds of ballista stones found in a section of Jerusalem’s destroyed third wall. Most of this wall is now gone except for a small section between a gas station and the U.S. consulate on Naomi Kis Street.
Arbiv systematically recorded the Roman arsenal from the site which included hundreds of different-sized ballista (an ancient type of catapult) stones which could be launched to a distance of 328-1200 ft. Some of the stones were found broken from striking the stone wall. Catapult machines were also used to launch spearheads, fire spears, swords and armor-piercing arrowheads as far as 820 ft.
According to the eye-witness account of ancient historian Flavius Josephus, the Romans had massive firing power with each of the three Roman legions around Jerusalem having 10 ballista and 55 catapults.
“We know from the historical sources that the Roman army employed massive siege rams to batter the fortification walls, and siege towers that reached the height of the walls, but these have not yet been found in Jerusalem,” said Amit Reem, director of IAA Jerusalem Region.
History of Jerusalem’s Third Wall
Historical records tell us that in AD 40 King Agrippa II began to build a third wall to protect the new neighborhood of Beit Zeta in northern Jerusalem, but the wall wasn’t finished. Most likely, fear of causing the Roman leaders, led by Emperor Claudius, to be suspicious of disloyalty halted the fortification effort. After the Jewish revolt in AD 66, the wall was hastily finished, lacking the quality construction that it had begun with.
Josephus wrote, “If the construction of the wall had continued as it was begun it would have been impossible to conquer the city, inasmuch as it had been built with hewn stones 20 cubits long and 10 cubits wide that were assembled so perfectly that … it would have been impossible to dig underneath them with an iron tool or to move them with machines of war.”
What Do the Ballista Stones Tell Us?
Arbiv analyzed the different sizes and weights of the stones, concluding that the large ballista stones were launched at the wall in an effort to break through it and smaller stones were fired at the Jewish rebels who tried to emerge above the walls.
“With the help of the computer, I located all the ballista exactly where they were found. I took into account the local topography and the location of the Second Temple-period city fortification walls, and I made ballistic calculations, including the launching angle, and the throwing distance of the stones,” explained Arbiv. “All the data was compared to the renowned Jewish historian Josephus’ contemporary detailed descriptions of the battle, and the conquest and destruction of Jerusalem, in his book, ‘The History of the Jewish War against the Romans’.”
The research shows, for the first time, the most likely location where the Roman forces entered the city. Hundreds of ballista stones were found in one specific area revealing that the Roman army concentrated their efforts there.
“This is not surprising,” says Arbiv, “as whoever controls this spot, dominates the whole area and the fate of the city. This aligns with Josephus’ account that Titus commanded his forces to penetrate the city from the northwestern side of the city wall. Probably the defenders of the city concentrated at that point and defended it – hence also the Romans’ insistence on firing at that point. They then burst into the city from that place.”
The research also points to the center of the modern city of Jerusalem, in the Nahalat Hashiva area nicknamed ‘Cats’ Square,’ as being the place where some of the Roman army artillery machines were located while they attacked that section of the Third Wall.
Conclusion
“The physical evidence of the huge resources employed by the Roman army in Jerusalem, reflect the extremely harsh battles that eventually led to the destruction of the Second Temple. Notwithstanding the internal factions and the impossible odds, a small group of Jewish defenders withheld the Romans for a few months until the tragic destruction of the city. The use of up-to-date research methods reveal more and more on the fascinating history of Jerusalem,” summarized the director of IAA, Eli Eskosido. Discoveries like these encourage us to Keep Thinking!
TOP PHOTO: Kfir Arbiv, IAA excavation director, cleans a ballista stone. (credit: Yoli Schwartz – IAA)
