The Second Temple was a significant Jewish religious structure located on the Temple Mount in Jerusalem. It served as the central place of worship for the Jewish people from its completion in 516 BCE until its destruction in 70 CE. Unlike the First Temple, built by King Solomon, the Second Temple was initially constructed without the Ark of the Covenant, which had been lost during the Babylonian conquest.
The construction of the Second Temple began after the Babylonian Exile, following the decree of Cyrus the Great of the Achaemenid Empire in 538 BCE, which allowed the Jews to return to Jerusalem and rebuild their temple. Under the leadership of figures such as Zerubbabel, Joshua the High Priest, and the prophet Haggai, the foundation was laid in 536 BCE. The temple was completed and dedicated in 516 BCE, during the reign of Darius I. This modest structure, often called Zerubbabel's Temple, was built using resources provided by the Persian kings and donations from the returning exiles.
The Second Temple period, spanning from 516 BCE to 70 CE, encompassed various political dominations, including Persian, Hellenistic (under the Seleucid Empire), Hasmonean, and Roman rule. During the Maccabean Revolt in 164 BCE, the temple was rededicated, an event commemorated by the holiday of Hanukkah.
The most magnificent phase of the Second Temple came under Herod the Great, who began a massive renovation project around 20 BCE. Herod expanded the Temple Mount platform to approximately 144,000 square meters, creating one of the largest religious complexes in the ancient world. The temple itself was rebuilt with white stones, some weighing up to 400 tons, and featured grand porticos, courtyards, and the Holy of Holies. This Herodian Temple included areas like the Court of the Gentiles, the Court of Women, the Court of Israelites, and the Court of Priests. The complex also housed the Sanhedrin in the Hall of Hewn Stones and served as a marketplace.
The Second Temple was the focal point for the Three Pilgrimage Festivals: Passover, Shavuot, and Sukkot, drawing hundreds of thousands of pilgrims annually. It was the site of daily sacrifices, including the twice-daily Tamid offering, and major rituals such as the Yom Kippur atonement.
The Second Temple was destroyed in 70 CE during the First Jewish-Roman War. Roman forces under Titus, son of Emperor Vespasian, besieged Jerusalem starting in 66 CE. After a prolonged siege, the Romans breached the city walls and set fire to the temple on the 9th of Av (Tisha B'Av), fulfilling prophecies from the Hebrew Bible and leading to the deaths of over a million people, according to historian Flavius Josephus. The destruction marked a pivotal shift, ending the era of sacrificial worship and giving rise to Rabbinic Judaism.
Today, the Western Wall (or Wailing Wall) remains as the closest accessible remnant of the Second Temple complex, drawing millions of visitors for prayer and reflection.
Sources consulted include: Wikipedia: Second Temple, Jewish Virtual Library: The Second Temple, and Chabad.org: What Was the Second Holy Temple?.