The Galilee campaign, also known as the Northern Revolt, took place in the year 67, when Roman general

Vespasian Vespasian (; la, Vespasianus ; 17 November AD 9 – 23/24 June 79) was a Roman emperor who reigned from AD 69 to 79. The fourth and last emperor who reigned in the Year of the Four Emperors, he founded the Flavian dynasty that ruled the Empi ...

invaded Galilee under the orders of Emperor Nero in order to crush the

Great Revolt of Judea Great may refer to: Descriptions or measurements * Great, a relative measurement in physical space, see Size * Greatness, being divine, majestic, superior, majestic, or transcendent People * List of people known as "the Great" *Artel Great (born ...

. Many Galilean towns gave up without a fight, although others had to be taken by force. Of these, Josephus provides detailed accounts of the sieges of

Gamla Gamla, alt. sp. Gamala ( he, גַּמְלָא, The Camel) was an ancient Jewish city on the Golan Heights. It is believed to have been founded as a Seleucid fort during the Syrian Wars which was turned into a city under Hasmonean rule in 81 ...

and

Yodfat Yodfat ( he, יוֹדְפַת), is a moshav shitufi in northern Israel. Located in the Lower Galilee, south of Carmiel and in the vicinity of the Atzmon mountain ridge, north of the Beit Netofa Valley, it falls under the jurisdiction of Misgav Reg ...

. By the year 68, Jewish resistance in the north had been crushed, and Vespasian made

Caesarea Maritima Caesarea Maritima (; Greek: ''Parálios Kaisáreia''), formerly Strato's Tower, also known as Caesarea Palestinae, was an ancient city in the Sharon plain on the coast of the Mediterranean, now in ruins and included in an Israeli national park ...

his headquarters and methodically proceeded to cleanse the coastline of the country, avoiding direct confrontation with the rebels at Jerusalem.

Timeline

After the defeat of Gallus' army at Bet Horon in the year 66, Emperor

Nero Nero Claudius Caesar Augustus Germanicus ( ; born Lucius Domitius Ahenobarbus; 15 December AD 37 – 9 June AD 68), was the fifth Roman emperor and final emperor of the Julio-Claudian dynasty, reigning from AD 54 un ...

appointed general Vespasian, instead of Gallus to crush the Judean rebellion. Vespasian, along with legions X ''Fretensis'' and V ''Macedonica'', landed at Ptolemais in April 67. There he was joined by his son

Titus Titus Caesar Vespasianus ( ; 30 December 39 – 13 September 81 AD) was Roman emperor from 79 to 81. A member of the Flavian dynasty, Titus succeeded his father Vespasian upon his death. Before becoming emperor, Titus gained renown as a mili ...

, who arrived from

Alexandria Alexandria ( or ; ar, ٱلْإِسْكَنْدَرِيَّةُ ; grc-gre, Αλεξάνδρεια, Alexándria) is the second largest city in Egypt, and the largest city on the Mediterranean coast. Founded in by Alexander the Great, Alexandria ...

at the head of

Legio XV Apollinaris Legio XV Apollinaris ("Apollo's Fifteenth Legion") was a legion of the Imperial Roman army. It was recruited by Octavian in 41/40 BC. The emblem of this legion was probably a picture of Apollo, or of one of his holy animals. XV ''Apollinaris ...

, as well as by the armies of various local allies including that of king Agrippa II. Fielding more than 60,000 soldiers, Vespasian began operations by subjugating Galilee.Rocca S. 2008. ''The Forts of Judea 168 BCE – CE 73''. Osprey, Wellingborough, pp. 37–39, 47–48. Many Galilean towns gave up without a fight, although others had to be taken by force. Of these, Josephus provides detailed accounts of the sieges of

and

Casualties

According to

Josephus Flavius Josephus (; grc-gre, Ἰώσηπος, ; 37 – 100) was a first-century Romano-Jewish historian and military leader, best known for ''The Jewish War'', who was born in Jerusalem—then part of Roman Judea—to a father of priestly d ...

, the Roman vanquishing of Galilee resulted in 100,000 Jews killed or sold into slavery."Ancient Jewish History: The Great Revolt (66 – 70 CE)"
''Jewish Virtual Library''

Aftermath

By the year 68, Jewish resistance in the north had been crushed, and Vespasian made

his headquarters and methodically proceeded to cleanse the coastline of the country, avoiding direct confrontation with the rebels at Jerusalem.

References

{{DEFAULTSORT:Galilee campaign (67) 67 60s in the Roman Empire Jews and Judaism in the Roman Empire Galilee Campaign History of the Middle East First Jewish–Roman War 1st-century battles 60s conflicts