In 132 CE—a half-century after the Roman destruction of the Second Temple and the end of Judean independence—Shimon Bar Kokhba led a revolt in the Land of Israel that lasted for some three years, in which his followers managed to take and hold territory and mint their own coins. According to the ancient historian Cassius Dio, the Romans were only able to suppress the revolt by assembling a force of 50,000 legionaries—more than three times the size of the insurgent army. No Jewish army would again fight for the Jewish homeland until 1947. Henry Abramson explains what we know about this episode, and its legacy. (Video, 21 minutes.)
Read more on YouTube: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=UscqX3jUyLA&feature=youtu.be