From the Taking of Jerusalem by Antiochus Epiphanes to the Death of Herod the Great - Flavius Josephus

Chapter 7
Pompey Took the Temple by Force
1. At this treatment Pompey was very angry, and took Aristobulus into
custody. And when he was come to the city, he looked about where he might
make his attack; for he saw the walls were so firm, that it would be hard to
overcome them; and that the valley before the walls was terrible; and that the
temple, which was within that valley, was itself encompassed with a very
strong wall, insomuch that if the city were taken, that temple would be a
second place of refuge for the enemy to retire to.
2. Now as be was long in deliberating about this matter, a sedition arose
among the people within the city; Aristobulus's party being willing to fight,
and to set their king at liberty, while the party of Hyrcanus were for opening
the gates to Pompey; and the dread people were in occasioned these last to be
a very numerous party, when they looked upon the excellent order the
Roman soldiers were in. So Aristobulus's party was worsted, and retired into
the temple, and cut off the communication between the temple and the city,
by breaking down the bridge that joined them together, and prepared to make
an opposition to the utmost; but as the others had received the Romans into
the city, and had delivered up the palace to him, Pompey sent Piso, one of his
great officers, into that palace with an army, who distributed a garrison about
the city, because he could not persuade any one of those that had fled to the
temple to come to terms of accommodation; he then disposed all things that
were round about them so as might favor their attacks, as having Hyrcanus's
party very ready to afford them both counsel and assistance.
3. But Pompey himself filled up the ditch that was oil the north side of
the temple, and the entire valley also, the army itself being obliged to carry
the materials for that purpose. And indeed it was a hard thing to fill up that
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