Panic strikes Rome as adverse winds delay grain shipments from Africa and Egypt, producing a bread shortage. Ships laden with wheat from North Africa sail 300 miles to Rome's port of Ostia in 3 days, and the 1,000 mile voyage from Alexandria averages 13 days. The vessels often carry 1,000 tons each to provide the city with the 8,000 tons per week it normally consumes.
7th of Artemisios[2] (7th of Iyar, about May 6) – The Third Wall of Jerusalem collapses and the Jews withdraw from Bezetha to the Second Wall, where the defences are unorganized.
12th of Artemisios[3] (12th of Iyar, about May 11) – Titus and his Roman legions breach the Second Wall of Jerusalem. The Jewish defenders retreat to the First Wall. The Romans start building a circumvallation; all trees within 90 stadia (ca. fifteen kilometres) of the city are cut down.
21st of Artemisios (about May 20 or 21) – A "certain prodigious and incredible phenomenon", "chariots and troops" seen running in the clouds around Jerusalem[4]
24th of Panemos[6] (about July 20) – Romans set fire to a cloister after the capture of the Fortress of Antonia, north of the Temple Mount. The Romans are drawn into street fighting with the Zealots.
10th of Loios[7] (9th or 10th of Av, about August 4) – Titus destroys the Jewish Temple in Jerusalem. Roman troops are stationed in Jerusalem and abolish the Jewish high priesthood and Sanhedrin. This becomes known as the Fall of Jerusalem, a conclusive event in the First Jewish–Roman War (the Jewish Revolt), which began in 66 AD. Following this event, the Jewish religious leadership moves from Jerusalem to Jamnia (present-day Yavne), and this date is mourned annually as the Jewish fast of Tisha B'Av.
8th of Gorpiaios (8th of Elul, about September 2) – Romans gain control of all of Jerusalem and proceed to burn it and kill its remaining residents, except for some who are taken captive to be killed later or enslaved.[9]
Titus is made praetorian prefect of the Praetorian Guard and receives pro-consular command and also tribunician power, all of which indicates that Vespasian will follow the hereditary tradition of succession.
Emperor Vespasian begins conquest of territory east of the upper Rhine and south of the Main. In addition, he reorganizes the defenses of the upper and lower Danube.
Revolt against the Chinese in Tarim: Cachera and Turpan are besieged. Luoyang orders the evacuation of Tarim. Ban Chao makes the rebels retreat towards Khotan. At the same time, the Chinese army of Ganzhou reconquers Turpan in Northern Xiongnu. Ban Chao convinces the emperor of the need to control Central Asia in the fight against Xiongnu.
June 23 – Emperor Vespasian dies of fever from diarrhea; his last words on his deathbed are: "I think I'm turning into a god." Titus succeeds his father as Roman emperor. Titus' Jewish mistress, Berenice, comes to join him in Rome, but he exiles her to please the Senate.
^War of the Jews Book V, sect. 99 (Ch. 3, paragraph 1 in Whiston's translation)
^War of the Jews Book V, sect. 302 (Ch. 7, par. 2)
^War of the Jews Book V, sect. 466 (Ch. 11, par. 4)
^ abWar of the JewsBook VI, sect. 296 (Ch. 5, par. 3). In Greek, "φάσμα τι δαιμόνιον ὤφθη μεῖζον πίστεως", a phrase that is often translated on UFO sites as "On the 21st of May a demonic phantom of incredible size...".
^War of the Jews Book VI, sect. 94 (Ch. 2, par. 1)
^War of the Jews Book VI, sect. 166 (Ch. 2, par. 9)
^War of the Jews Book VI, sect. 220 (Ch. 4, par. 1)
^ abChilver, Guy Edward Farquhar (January 20, 2024). "Vespasian". Encyclopaedia Britannica. Retrieved February 20, 2024.
^War of the Jews Book VI, sect. 407 (Ch. 8, par. 5; Ch. 9, par. 2)
^Tregear, T. R. (1965) A Geography of China, pp. 218–219.
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