The Romans, under General Pompey, conquered Judea in 63 B.C.E., effectively ending Judean autonomy and self-sovereignty in the land of Israel until the creation of the State of Israel in 1948. The Romans incorporated the Jews as yet another ethnic group in their growing imperial system.

Ironically, the Romans entered Judean politics by invitation. After the death of Alexander Jannaeus, the last king of the Hasmonean line, in 76 B.C.E., it was unclear who of his two sons would succeed him. Both sons appeared before the Roman deputy located in Syria, each asking to be recognized as the ruler of Judea. Although the Romans initially supported one son and then switched their endorsement to the other, ultimately General Pompey was sent in to establish Roman rule over Jerusalem by force. He was met by a fierce Jewish resistance. In the end, however, Pompey successfully put down the Jewish resistance and placed Judea under Roman rule.

Roman dominance over Judea continued unquestioned for nearly a century until the First Jewish Revolt against Rome in 66 C.E. Judea was ruled, like the other provinces of the eastern part of the Roman Empire, as a vassal state. Herod, a native Judean, was installed as king in 37 B.C.E. and ruled until his death in 4 B.C.E. While Herod is commonly regarded as a tyrant, he was a builder of great cities and fortresses. During his rule, he rebuilt the Temple, and constructed the fortress Massada and the cities Herodium and Caeserea.

After Herod's death, Judea was split into three parts and divided among Herod's three sons. By 6 C.E., Herod's descendants disobeyed and angered the Romans. As a result, Roman procurators, or governors, were sent to rule Judea and Jerusalem directly. Of these procurators, Pontius Pilate (26-36 C.E.) is perhaps the most famous for his involvement in the crucifixion of Jesus Christ.

The Roman procurators who ruled Jerusalem were corrupt and insensitive to Jewish religious practices. When in the fall of 66 C.E. procurator Florus stole money from the Temple treasury, a riot broke out against Roman rule. Led by the high priests, religious zealots who were staunchly anti-Roman forced Florus to flee Jerusalem and defeated his Roman legions. Other rebellions broke out all over Judea.

After the death of the Roman Emperor Nero, Vespasian proclaimed himself emperor. In the summer of 70 C.E., the Romans under Titus, the son of Vespasian, conquered Jerusalem, destroyed the Temple, and defeated the remaining Jewish revolutionaries. To this day, Jews throughout the world commemorate the destruction of the Temple by the Romans on ninth of the Jewish month of Av (usually late August in the Gregorian calendar).

To celebrate the Roman conquest of Jerusalem, numerous "Judea Capta" coins were minted in bronze, silver, and gold in ca. 71 C.E. These coins represent the importance the Romans placed on the defeat of this Jewish revolt and served as a reminder to other provinces what could happen to them should they revolt.

After Vespasian's death, Titus became emperor of Rome in 81 C.E., but he died soon thereafter. His brother Domitian rose to power and commissioned a victory arch to be constructed in honor of Titus. The Arch of Titus (ca. 85 C.E.) depicts a Roman victory procession in which the treasures of the Jerusalem Temple are carried away in triumph. Symbols of the captured booty that are depicted include the Temple's golden menorah and golden altar, and a pair of trumpets.

To punish the Jews for the war, the Romans imposed a fiscus Judaicus (Jewish tax) and confiscated Jewish land in Judea. Roman rule over Judea remained stable for almost a century. Under the rule of Emperor Hadrian, however, Jerusalem was transformed into a Roman colony called Aelia Capitolina, and Jews were barred, on penalty of death, from entering the city. In 130 C.E., Hadrian minted a series of bronze coins to commemorate the refounding of Jerusalem as a Roman colony. Symbolizing the beginning of a new Jerusalem, Hadrian is shown plowing the land with a bull and a cow.

However, anger simmered again in the Jewish province due to the misrule of Tinnius Rufus, the Roman governor of Judea, and Emperor Hadrian's attempts to found a Roman colony on the site of Jerusalem. From 132 to 135 C.E., Simon Bar Kochba led another rising (the Second Jewish Revolt) and was successful in regaining Jewish control over Judea and Jerusalem for a short period of time. The outcome, however, was inescapable. Emperor Hadrian, whose bust from 130 C.E. is featured on our site, sent numerous legions to put down the revolt.

After the Second Jewish Revolt, the Romans replaced the Latin name Judea with the Latin Palestina as their name for this province.

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