THE STONE OF THE TENTH LEGION | 12 Stones of Jerusalem | Ep. 6

In Jerusalem, history hides in plain sight. A 16th-century Ottoman wall contains a Roman military inscription. A café lamp post turns out to be an ancient column marking the presence of a fearsome legion. And scattered across the Old City are the stones, stamps, and scars left by one of Rome’s most powerful military units: Legio X Fretensis, the Tenth Legion.
This video traces the story of the Roman Tenth Legion in Jerusalem – from the Great Jewish Revolt of 66 CE and the destruction of the Second Temple, through their decades-long presence in the city, to the rebuilding of Jerusalem as Aelia Capitolina after the Bar-Kokhba revolt. Through inscriptions, reused building stones, archaeological remains, and ancient eyewitness accounts, we uncover how the legion shaped the city and why its traces still surround us today.

Written by archaeologist Yana Tchekhanovets of Ben-Gurion University and narrated in English by award-winning author and journalist Matti Friedman, “Twelve Stones of Jerusalem” tells the story of the city’s past through twelve remarkable artifacts – from the Neolithic to the 20th century.

00:00 – Jerusalem: discovering layers of history
00:00:28 – The Ottoman wall and a mysterious Latin inscription
00:01:17 – Legio X Fretensis: Rome’s feared Tenth Legion
00:01:44 – Jewish Revolt (66 CE) and rising tensions
00:02:33 – Siege of Jerusalem and destruction of the Temple
00:03:14 – Archaeological evidence of the 70 CE destruction
00:04:01 – Aftermath and resettlement near Jerusalem
00:04:21 – Roman bricks, tiles, and legionary stamps
00:05:03 – The Tenth Legion’s permanent camp near Jaffa Gate
00:05:47 – The Bar-Kokhba Revolt (132–135 CE)
00:06:10 – Jerusalem rebuilt as Aelia Capitolina
00:06:20 – Remains of the Roman city in today’s Old City
00:06:52 – The Roman column reused as a modern lamp post
00:07:02 – Commander Marcus and the hidden Roman inscription
00:07:20 – The legion’s lasting mark on Jerusalem

Author – Yana Tchekhanovets, Ben-Gurion University
Narrator and editor – Matti Friedman
Screenwriter – Anastasia Ryabtseva
Director – Dasha Shtyrkova
Director of Photography – Aleksei Malinkovich
Lighting – Konstantin Prosnikov
Music & Sound – Fika Magarik
Editor – Zhenya Todich
Graphics – Andrei Olshevsky
Preliminary Script Development – Maria Kaspina
Producer – Aviel Kravchenko

Beit Avi Chai: Dr. David Rozenson, CEO; Dr. Simon Parizhsky, educational director of the Ideas Without Borders project; Svetlana Busygina, administrative director IWB
Special thanks to:
The Jerusalem Archaeological Park – Davidson Center
The Israel Museum, Jerusalem
Versavee Restaurant Bar & Cafe
The Greek Orthodox Patriarchate of Jerusalem
Jerusalem Municipality

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