Pompey chose the vulnerable
northern approach, despite the
protective trench that had been
dug there. In 63 BCE, after a
three-month siege, the Roman
soldiers breached the walls. In
an act which shocked the de-
feated Jewish army, Pompey
entered the Temple's innermost
chamber, the Holy of Holies.
The government was left in the
hands of the puppet Hyracanus
and his advisor, Antipater.