Roman Republic

According to Roman tradition, the Roman Republic began in −509 after the overthrow of Rome’s last king. Over the following centuries, Rome expanded from a city-state in central Italy into the dominant power of the Mediterranean, defeating rivals such as Carthage and the Hellenistic kingdoms. Roman involvement in Jewish history became decisive in −63, when Pompey entered Jerusalem and brought the Hasmonean kingdom under Roman domination. Rome later ruled Judea through client kings such as Herod the Great and then through direct provincial administration. Roman rule shaped some of the most important events in Jewish history, including the destruction of the Second Temple in 70, the Bar Kokhba Revolt, and the transformation of Jewish life after the loss of political independence.