Bar Kokhba Revolt Crushed; Judaea Renamed Syria Palaestina

In 132–135 CE, Jewish rebels led by Simon bar Kokhba established an independent Jewish state in Judaea. Emperor Hadrian deployed up to thirteen legions and crushed the revolt at Betar fortress in 135 CE. Roman forces killed or enslaved hundreds of thousands, expelled Jews from Jerusalem, and banned circumcision and Torah study. Hadrian renamed the province from Judaea to Syria Palaestina, derived from the Philistines, and rebuilt Jerusalem as the pagan colony Aelia Capitolina. Jews dispersed across the Roman Empire while communities remained in Galilee. The provincial name Syria Palaestina became the etymological origin of Palestine.