November 66 AD · Judea Theater
November 66 AD
After failing to take Jerusalem, the Roman governor of Syria, Cestius Gallus, ordered a withdrawal of the Twelfth Legion (Legio XII Fulminata) back toward the coast. In the narrow ascent of the Beth Horon pass, Jewish rebels ambushed the retreating column, raining missiles from the heights and blocking the road. The legion was routed, losing some 6,000 men and — most humiliating of all — its aquila, the sacred eagle standard.
Commanders