It was a portrait of hell.

[**The following takes place during the Roman siege of Jerusalem in 70 AD.**]] >Legionaries smashed through the giant Sanctuary doors, then went looking for Jews, and plunder. Blood flowed across the Temple flag-stones like water. It was a portrait of hell. The spreading flames, the smoke, the heat, the crashing timbers, wild-eyed Roman troops cutting down everything that moved, officers yelling orders, screaming fugitives, the groans of the dying. The Temple was consumed by fire, but not before the legions had looted it of its treasures. >The last resistance was overcome at Herod’s Palace to the west. After four hellish months, Jerusalem had fallen. Close to a million people had died during the siege; another 97,000 Jews had been taken prisoner by the Romans. ___________________________ **Source:** Dando-Collins, Stephen. “Part III: The Battles - Besieging Jerusalem.” *Legions of Rome: The Definitive History of Every Imperial Roman Legion*. Thomas Dunne Books, 2012. 353-54. Print. ___________________________ **Further Reading:** [Siege of Jerusalem](https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Siege_of_Jerusalem_(70_CE)/) ___________________________ **If you enjoy this type of content, please consider donating to my [Patreon]( https://www.patreon.com/HistoryLockeBox)!**