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Battle of Beth Horon (66) AD 66

Battle of Beth Horon (66): Beit Horon
Image: The original uploader was מיכאלי at Hebrew Wikipedia., CC BY-SA 2.5, via Wikimedia Commons

Recorded location from Wikidata; battle sites are often approximate.

Key facts

YearAD 66Wikidata P585 (point in time)
EraAncient (before 500)derived from year
LocationPalestineNatural Earth (modern borders)
ContinentAsiaNatural Earth
War / conflictFirst Jewish-Roman WarWikidata P361
Coordinates31.8858, 35.1142Wikidata P625

About the battle

The Battle of Beth Horon was a military engagement fought in 66 CE between the Roman army and Jewish rebels in the early phase of the First Jewish–Roman War. During the event, the Syrian Legion Legio XII Fulminata with auxiliary support headed by Legate of Syria Cestius Gallus was ambushed by a large force of Judean rebel infantry at the passage of Beth Horon, on their retreat from Jerusalem towards the coastal plain. The rebel Judean forces headed by Simon Bar Giora, Eleazar ben Simon and other rebel generals succeeded in inflicting a humiliating defeat, killing some 6,000 Roman troops and capturing the Legion's aquila, with much of the Roman Army fleeing in disarray from the battle field. The defeat of the Roman Army had major implications in prolonging the rebellion, leading to the short-lived Judean self-governorship in Judea and Galilee.

Text adapted from the Wikipedia article Battle of Beth Horon (66) (revision 1370107760), licensed under CC BY-SA 4.0. Changes: excerpted from the article lead section; formatting and citations removed. No text added.

Location

31.8858, 35.1142 · Palestine

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Nearby battles

Other battles of the First Jewish-Roman War

All 5 battles of the First Jewish-Roman War →

Browse more: battles in Palestine · Asia · Ancient battles

Further reading