The Second Temple (lit. ‘Second House of the Sanctum’) was the temple in Jerusalem that replaced Solomon’s Temple, which had been destroyed during the Babylonian siege of Jerusalem in 587 BCE. The Second Temple was constructed around 516 BCE, later enhanced by Herod the Great around 18 BCE, and thereafter also known as Herod’s Temple. The Second Temple stood as a pivotal symbol of Jewish identity and was the basis and namesake of Second Temple Judaism. The Second Temple served as the chief place of worship, ritual sacrifice (korban), and communal gathering for the Jewish people, regularly attracting pilgrims for the Three Pilgrimage Festivals: Passover, Shavuot, and Sukkot.

In the 1st century BCE, Herod’s efforts to transform the Second Temple resulted in a grand, imposing structure and courtyard, including the large edifices and façades depicted in modern models, such as the Holyland Model of Jerusalem at the Israel Museum. The Temple Mount, where both Solomon’s Temple and the Second Temple stood, was also significantly expanded, doubling in size to become the ancient world’s largest religious sanctuary. The Temple complex was not only a place of worship but also served multiple functions, including being a site for public assemblies. The Sanhedrin, the supreme judicial court, convened in the Temple’s Hall of Hewn Stones, and the compound also hosted one of the city’s largest marketplaces.

In 70 CE, at the height of the First Jewish–Roman War, the Second Temple was destroyed by the Roman siege of Jerusalem, resulting in a cataclysmic shift in Jewish history. The loss of the Second Temple prompted the development of Rabbinic Judaism, which remains the mainstream form of Jewish religious practices globally