Hadrian's War on the Jews

Simon declared independence for the new state of Israel in 132. But Hadrian was not going to stand by and watch a Roman province simply shrug off their imperial masters. He ordered his best general, Sextus Julius Severus, to leave his post in Britain and make with all haste for Judea. The Romans destroyed 50 fortified towns and almost 1,000 separate villages during this war. In addition to heavy Roman casualties, almost 600,000 Jews were killed during the retaking of Judea.