Pompey Conquers Jerusalem

Pompey the Great arrived in Judea during a Hasmonean civil war and took sides. After a three-month siege, his forces breached the Temple Mount. Pompey walked into the Holy of Holies — an act of profound sacrilege — but notably didn't loot the Temple treasury. From this moment on, Judea existed under Roman authority, setting the political stage for everything that follows in the New Testament.