Français – عربي – ⵜⴰⵎⴰⵣⵉⵖⵜ – English
In 115-117, the Jewish community in Cyrene revolted against Roman domination. The insurgency spread over all Cyrenaica, then Egypt, Cyprus, and all the way to Palestine. Lucius Quietus, a Roman general with Moorish origins, was in charge of suppressing the insurgents.
Context
Since the Romans destroyed Jerusalem in 70, the Jews no longer had a national capital. Most Jews were still living in Palestine, others were dispersed all around the Roman Empire and beyond. The Jewish communities in Alexandria and Cyrene were among the most numerous and influential in the Empire, with a history going back to the Ptolemaic era.
At this time, the Jews regularly rebelled against the Roman occupation of their homeland. The 115-117 uprising was mostly led by the diaspora Jews, with little involvement from those in Palestine. In Jewish history, it is called Mered ha-galuyot (מרד הגלויות), the “diaspora revolt”.
Nowadays, this uprising is known as the “Kitos War”, a deformation of the name of Lucius Quietus, the (originally Moorish) Roman general who suppressed it.
The uprising
In 115, the Roman Emperor Trajan led a military campaign against the Persian Empire. For this campaign, he called together most of the troops stationed in the Eastern parts of the Empire, leaving only a few soldiers in each city… an ideal context for an uprising.
The Cyrenean Jews, led by a man called Lukuas, rebelled and killed the Roman legions that had remained in the city. They destroyed many temples, as well as civil buildings that were symbols of Roman occupation, like the basilica and the public baths. Lukuas proclaimed himself “King of the Jews”.
After taking over all Cyrenaica, the insurgents left for Alexandria. The Roman governor abandoned the city before they arrived. The insurgents entered the city and destroyed the temples and Pompey’s tomb.
During this time, further East, Emperor Trajan conquered many cities that previously belonged to the Persian Empire, like Edessa (Şanlıurfa), Nisibe (Nusaybin), Seleucia, and Arbela (Erbil). Each of these cities had a strong Jewish community. Encouraged by the uprising in Cyrene, the Jews in these cities revolted as soon as the Emperor had left, and massacred the remaining Roman garrisons.
In 117, the Jews in Cyprus, led by Artemion, also rebelled. They massacred the Roman troops that were stationed on the island, together with Greek civilians.
The uprising’s suppression
To repress the revolt, Trajan called on one of his most prominent generals: Lucius Quietus, the son of a Moorish tribal chief who helped the Romans to take over Mauretania.
Lucius Quietus led a successful campaign to reconquer the cities in the East that had joined the rebellion. At the same time, another Roman general, Marcius Turbo, retook control of Egypt, Cyprus, and Cyrenaica.
Lukuas, the leader of the insurgents, fled to Palestine, pursued by Marcius Turbo. The last insurgents fled to the city of Lydda (Lod). Lucius Quietus, who had now been named governor of the Roman province of Judea, besieged Lydda. The city fell and the insurgents were massacred.
Consequences
The insurgency caused over 200.000 deaths in Cyrenaica. The city of Cyrene was sacked by the insurgents, and almost every building was destroyed. The city’s reconstruction took several decades.
