3000 Years of Jerusalem History

After their conquest, the Babylonians left Jerusalem in piles of rubble and led thousands and thousands of Judeans back to Babylonia. In Babylonia, the Jews, with the help of leaders and prophets, acquired a strengthened faith and national determination. A few thousand Jews, after about 50 years in exile, came back to Jerusalem, began to clear the debris and rebuild the Temple.

During this 600 year period (530 BCE-130 CE), different empires took control of Jerusalem: Persians, Macedonian Greeks (Alexander the Great), Egyptian Greeks, Syrian Greeks, Hasmoneans (nature Judeans) and Romans.

Under the Romans, Herod came into power; he ruled from 37-4 BCE. While Herod was considered a cruel ruler, he was a brilliant builder. Herod built palaces, fortresses and monuments, but his crowning achievement was the reconstruction of the Temple. Herod's building campaign and Roman technology made Jerusalem a beautiful city. The rabbis of the period wrote, "Ten measures of beauty descended on the world; nine of them were alloted to Jerusalem."

Despite the city's beauty, relations between the city's Jewish residents and the Roman troops deteriorated over time. In Herod's time, the population of Jerusalem grew to 60,000 people. The city's Jews were greatly disturbed by many religious insensitivities, such as the Roman edict to decorate the city with statues of the Roman emperor. Over time, Jewish discontent led to revolt which eventually led to a bloodbath. The Romans destroyed the city, including the Second Temple, and banished the Jews.

Information from The Sources of Jerusalem, Chaim Feder and Laura Janner-Klausner, Education Matters Ltd., Jerusalem.

Next page > [One City,Many People] > Page Intro, 1, 2, 3, 4, 5

~ Lisa Katz

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