Wealth poured into the city for yet another reason. Hundreds of thousands of Jewish pilgrims visited the city each year. Though population estimates for cities in the ancient world are difficult, Jerusalem probably had around forty thousand inhabitants in the first century. But for a major festival like Passover, two hundred thousand pilgrims or more would come to the city. Moreover, non-Jewish travelers were also attracted to Jerusalem, commonly described as one of the most beautiful cities in the ancient Near East.
