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Showing posts from August, 2010
"And even in our sleep pain that cannot forget falls drop by drop upon the heart, and in our own despair, against our will, comes wisdom to us by the awful grace of the gods." - Aeschylus

This Day in History- Destruction of the Antonia Tower

August 8th, 70 A.D. the forces of Titus' Roman army destroyed the Antonia Fortess (aka the Tower of Antonia) during the Siege of Jerusalem. The fortress was built by Herod the Great, (the one who is depicted in the Bible as ordering the Massacre of the Innocents) and named for Herod's patron, Mark Antony (yes, that Mark Antony). It was located at the Eastern end of the city of Jerusalem and mainly used to house part of the Roman garrison, as well as some of the High Priests Vestments. It is interesting to think of a Jewish High Priest having to enter the home of the Roman soldiers in order to procure his necessary garments, it seems like a move calculated to remind him who was in charge. Perhaps he sent a servant, but still it is, I think, notable. In 66 A.D. the Jewish defenders had gained control of the city and in 70 A.D. the Romans answered with an army led by Emperor Titus himself, supported by Tiberius Julius Alexander as his second-in-command. The fortress was captu