Antique hand-colored print :

" The Destruction of Jerusalem "

Nearly 2000 years ago, in the year A.D. 70, soldiers of the Roman Empire slaughter Jews in Jerusalem by the thousands.

Text from the history of this event as described in the works of Josephus :

" While the holy house was on fire, every thing was plundered that came to hand, and ten thousand of those that were caught were slain; nor was there a commiseration of any age, or any reverence of gravity, but children, and old men, and profane persons, and priests were all slain in the same manner - as well those that made supplication for their lives, as those that defended themselves by fighting."

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6" x 9.5"
Hand-colored ( with watercolor paints ).
Undated, however this print was made in 1853.
This print is 170+ years old.

Carefully packed for shipment to the buyer.

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Historical Information  :

In the first century BC, the Romans came and forcibly annexed Judea ; there was almost no defense.
First as a kingdom which was compelled to pay taxes, then as a province; as a literal part of the empire.  
Jerusalem was a thriving metropolis in this era, home to a diverse population of Jews, Romans, and other ethnic groups. It was also a major religious center, with the Temple Mount as its focal point. Rome allowed the Jews to continue their religion, and to follow their ancestral laws and customs insofar as they did not cobflict with Roman law directly. Jews were exempted from military service.
Rome protected Judea, but as a possession ; punishment for breaking Roman law could be severe. For example, in A.D. 33, when Jesus of Nazareth was crucified at Jerusalem, he was not alone; two men convicted of thievery were also crucified beside him.

The Jews practiced a very different religion from that of their neighbors; as a result, they were often unpopular. Jewish communities were often close-knit, to protect themselves and their faith.

The Jews chafed under Roman control. Rome's heavy hand, along with famine and internal squabbles, contributed to growing Jewish discontent.
In 66 AD, this discontent exploded into open rebellion against Roman rule in Judea. The Jews united in revolt and expelled the Romans from Jerusalem. A revolutionary government was set up and extended its influence throughout all of Judea.

The Romans responded to this First Jewish Revolt with severe countermeasures.

Vespasian was dispatched by Roman emperor Nero to crush the rebellion. Joined by Titus, the Roman armies entered Galilee, where the historian Josephus headed the Jewish forces.
When confronted by the combined Roman armies of Vespasian and Titus, the Jewish army fled. After the fall of the fortress of Jatapata, Josephus surrendered.
The Roman forces swept the country.
On the 9th of the month of Av (August 29) in A.D. 70, Jerusalem fell.  
The Temple was burned and the sacred treasures were seized and carried off in a procession through the streets of Rome.
Jews were slaughtered by the thousands and the Jewish state collapsed ( though the fortress of Masada was not conquered by the Roman general Flavius Silva until A.D. April 73 ).

The destruction of the temple fundamentally changed the nature of Judaism. Thereafter, taxes that were once paid to the temple were paid to Rome. The Jewish tradition of worship in the temple was over.
Only the Western Wall remained of the temple in Jerusalem ; local synagogues became the new centers of the Jewish religion.

The destruction of the Temple had been predicted in Bible prophecy ; first by the prophet Micah who declared that the city was doomed because its beautification was financed by dishonest business practices, which impoverished the city's citizens.
Its destruction was also predicted by Jesus :
" ' Look, Teacher, what wonderful stones and what wonderful buildings! ' And Jesus said to him, ' Do you see these great buildings? There will not be left here one stone upon another that will not be thrown down.' " (Mark 13:1-2)
Some 37 years after Jesus made this prediction about the Temple - Rome sacked Jerusalem and destroyed it.
To date, it has still not been rebuilt.