Roman Capture of the Antonia and Burning of the Colonnade

After fierce fighting, the Antonia fortress, essential to the defense of Jerusalem, is taken by the Romans. The Jews still hold the Temple, however, and the Romans begin to build a siege ramp in order to gain access to the Temple.

The Jews, now feeling the “pinch of famine,” attempt a surprise attack on the Tenth Legion, which is guarding the Mount of Olives. “Worsted in every encounter,” according to Josephus, the Jews determine that their best course of action is to destroy the colonnade that links the Antonia fortress to the Temple, in an effort to make it more difficult for the Romans to enter the Temple. In the course of destroying this colonnade, Jewish insurgents feign retreat and trick some Roman soldiers into going up onto the colonnade, which they have rigged to explode in flames. The Roman soldiers are killed.