a.k.a. Revolt III
[Note: Many histories do not count the Kitos/Mediterranean rebellions noted just above as Jewish–Roman War II, in which case the Bar Kochba Revolt is numbered by them as Jewish–Roman War II. Note that (tens of) thousands of Jews perished in the Kitos rebellions (115–117 CE) against Rome.]
The Jews rise up in revolt (132–135 CE) after the Romans build a temple to (the Roman god) Jupiter on the site of the Jewish Temple, and subsequent to Hadrian’s abolishment of circumcision c. 130–131 CE.
While the Roman forces are originally forced out of Jerusalem by the forces of Bar Kochba, the Romans regroup. Detachments of Roman legions are brought from Egypt, Arabia, Syria, Asia Minor, and the Danubian countries. (Jewish–minted) coins bearing the inscription “Second Year of the Freedom of Israel” have been discovered in contemporary (20–21st Century) times.
c. 135 CE Roman armies under the command of Julius Severus retake Jerusalem and sack it.
According to Roman historian Cassius Dio, during the war 580,000 Jews are killed, 50 fortified Jewish towns destroyed, and 985 villages razed. On the other side of the ledger, an entire Roman Legion, the XXII Deiotariana apparently was destroyed by the Jewish rebels.
Bar Kochba’s “last stand” was at Beitar, a fortified city 10 km southwest of Jerusalem.
Bar Kochba’s prime backer, Rebbe Akiva, and the other leading rabbinics (to be known for posterity as the Ten Martyrs) are tortured and executed by the Romans…to be memorialized in Yom Kippur liturgy to this day—“The Ten Martyrs” (Aseret Harugei Malchut).