Jerusalem, Israel. The opposing factions within the city fought fiercely. Eventually, Hyrcanus’s followers, supported by the vast majority of the exhausted populace, opened the gates to the Romans. Aristobulus’s supporters, including the most extremist segment of the clergy, entrenched themselves in the Temple: a veritable fortress considered impregnable. It took Pompey three months to defeat them, and he did so only by taking advantage of the Sabbath, a non-working holiday strictly observed by the Jews. On that day, in less than 24 hours, he had an embankment prepared, had war machines positioned, and stormed a tower, capturing it and penetrating the sacred precinct. According to the historian Josephus (who usually exaggerates), the casualties numbered 12,000.
