other · Anatolia and the Levant

Bar Kokhba state

132 CE – 136 CE · capital Betar

The short-lived Jewish state of Simon bar Kosiba, whose revolt against Hadrian was the last great Jewish rising against Rome.

Origins

The revolt broke out in 132, probably provoked by Hadrian's plan to refound Jerusalem as the Roman colony Aelia Capitolina, and possibly by a ban on circumcision. Its leader, Simon bar Kosiba, was hailed as Bar Kokhba, 'son of the star', a messianic title reportedly endorsed by Rabbi Akiva.

Rule and society

Simon styled himself Nasi (prince) of Israel and dated documents by the 'redemption of Israel'. Coins overstruck on Roman issues showed the Temple facade and the slogan 'for the freedom of Jerusalem'. Letters and contracts found in caves of the Judaean Desert, notably Nahal Hever, show a working administration that leased state land, collected produce and gave terse orders to commanders, written in Hebrew, Aramaic and Greek.

Decline and legacy

Hadrian brought in Julius Severus from Britain, who wore the rebels down with a war of sieges. The fortress of Betar fell in 135 or 136. Judea was devastated, renamed Syria Palaestina, and Jews were barred from Jerusalem.

Lineage

Roman Empire 27 BCE – 476 CEBar Kokhba state

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Cite this page
APA
The Epoch Institute. (2026). Bar Kokhba state. In The Epoch Institute States Register. https://the-epoch-institute.org/state/bar-kokhba-state
MLA
“Bar Kokhba state.” The Epoch Institute States Register, The Epoch Institute, 2026, https://the-epoch-institute.org/state/bar-kokhba-state. Accessed .
Chicago
The Epoch Institute. “Bar Kokhba state.” The Epoch Institute States Register. 2026. https://the-epoch-institute.org/state/bar-kokhba-state.
Harvard
The Epoch Institute (2026) ‘Bar Kokhba state’, The Epoch Institute States Register. Available at: https://the-epoch-institute.org/state/bar-kokhba-state (Accessed: ).

Last reviewed October 2026Random state ↻