- Jerusalem is located in Israel, and is one of the world’s oldest continuously inhabited cities dating back to the 4th millennium BCE. It was the capital of the Kingdom of Judah and of the Roman Province of Judaea until 70 CE.
- It is a Holy City and Pilgrim destination for three of the World’s Religions, Judaism, Christianity and Islam.
Pre-Roman and Roman Sites
- Wailing Wall
- This is all that remains of the Second Temple of Jerusalem (516 BCE – 70 CE).
- Church of the Holy Sepulchre (335 CE)
- The Church, also known as the ‘Church of the Resurrection’, is located in the Christian Quarter of Jerusalem, and was consecrated by Constantine I on the 13th Sept 335 CE.
- Roman Cardo
- Roman Aqueduct
Museums
- The Israel Museum
- The Museum is an Art and Archeology Museum located at Ruppin Blvd.11, Jerusalem.
- It holds a large Collection covering three thousand years of history, including the Dead Sea Scrolls.
- Rockefeller Archaeological Museum
- The Museum is managed by the Israel Museum and is located at 27 Sultan Suleiman Street, East Jerusalem.
- The Museum also holds a large Collection covering all periods of History.
Pre Roman History
- 3000-2800 BCE Early Bronze Age occupation.
- c.1,350 BCE The Amarna Letters refer to the city.
- c.1,050-930 BCE Capital of the Kingdom of Israel, in The Bible, ruled by Saul, David, and Solomon. It was built on the Seven Hills of Jerusalem.
- After 930 BCE, the Kingdom divided into the Kingdom of Judah and the Northern Kingdom.
- c.722 BCE they were conquered by the Assyrians and became a vassal State of the Assyrian Empire.
- Jerusalem was alternately under the influence of the Egyptian Empire or the Assyrian Empire.
- c.605 BCE at the Battle of Carchemish the Egyptians were defeated by the Babylonians.
- c.597 BCE conquered by the Babylonian Empire.
- c. 597 BCE destruction of the First Temple of Jerusalem.
- 587-539 BCE Babylonian Exile. A large part of the population was taken into captivity in Babylon.
- c.539 BCE The Achaemenid Empire conquered Babylonia and allowed the Exiles to return to Jerusalem.
- c. 516 BCE construction of the Second Temple of Jerusalem.
- c. 322 BCE conquered by Alexander the Great resulting in the Hellenisation of the Levant.
Roman History
- In 40 BCE The Roman Senate nominated Herod the Great as ‘King of the Jews’, and he entered Jerusalem at the head of a Roman Army in 37-36 BCE.
- Herod ruled Judaea until his death in 4 CE. In order to legitimise the Herodian Dynasty, he married the Hasmonian Princess, Mariamne.
- Herod built the Second Temple of Jerusalem, the Naval port of Caesarea Maritima, a Summer Palace at Jericho, the Fortress of Masada and the Herodium, another Fortress Palace near Bethlehem.
- In 6 CE Judaea became a Roman Province, and the Capital was moved to from Jerusalem to Caesarea Maritima.
- First Jewish-Roman War (66-73 CE)
- During the First Jewish-Roman War, the Siege of Jerusalem in 70 CE resulted in the Destruction of the second Temple of Jerusalem. The war ended with the Siege of Masada (72-73 CE).
- Kitos War (115-117 CE)
- also known as the Second Roman-Jewish War. In 116 CE, Rebellions occurred in Judaea, Egypt, Cyprus and Cyrenaica with the possibility of the Eastern Empire breaking away.
- As a result, in 117 CE Trajan sent General Lucius Quietus to suppress the Rebellions in Mesopotamia and Judaea. His surname was corrupted to Kitos.
- Bar Kokhba's Revolt (132-135 CE)
- After 134 CE Hadrian renamed the Province of Judaea as ‘Syria Palaestina’.
- In 135 CE Hadrian deported large numbers of the Jewish population from Judaea and dispersed them throughout the Roman Empire. Hadrian forbad the Jews to enter Jerusalem, prohibited the Torah Law and the Hebrew Calendar.
- In an attempt to erase the History of Judaea, Hadrian renamed Judaea as Syria Palestinae and Jerusalem was renamed Aelia Capitolina which remained in force until 395 CE.
- Legion Based in Jerusalem (70 CE onwards)
- Legio X Fretensis (70–c.295 CE) and later in Aquaba (Aila), Jordan) (c.295–c.400 CE).
Jerusalem