"The first phase of the Bar Kokhba revolt ended with the defeat of the tenth legion and its retreat from Judea."

"When the report that R. Akiva was killed in Caesarea reached R. Yehuda b. Bathyra and R. Haninah b. Teradion, they stood, put on sackcloth and said: Israel our brothers, listen to us."

"Trajan had not chosen a successor and Quietus was certainly planning for his chance to become the emperor of Rome. Probably, he paused his campaign in Judea. He would need all his troops to fight off any other competitors. This tactic is exactly the way Vespasian commanded his troops after the death of Nero. Quietuss expedition to Judaea was basically over. It lasted from the beginning of the spring to some time in May. Its difficult to translate between Jewish Holidays and corresponding Gregorian dates, but Passover and Atzeret both fall on that timeline. Unfortunately for Quietus, Hadrian, because of his connections, became the emperor immediately after Trajans death. There was no war of succession. Quietus was afterwards accused of conspiring against Hadrian and was put to death. (Historia Agustus 1:7). Hadrian immediately deprived Quietus of the command of the Moorish tribesmen who were serving under him, and then dismissed him from the army, because he had fallen under the suspicion of having designs on the throne.In conclusion, R. Akivas first students did not die in the Bar Kokhba war. They died much earlier; maybe as a consequence of the Quietus war. They died in a relatively short time frame about two months. His second students spent many years with him. They mostly survived the Hadrianic persecutions and passed the Torah of R. Akiva to future generations. [1] This exact wording is from Hagadot Ha-Talmud, printed only once (1511, Constantinople). [2] This sentence is missing in all versions of the French recension and in two of the four Spanish accounts collected by Dr. Levine (see next footnote). [3] Binyamin Menashe Levine, ed., Iggeret Rav Sherira Gaon (Heb). Haifa-Frankfort-Berlin, HaHevra LeSifrut HaYahadut, 1921, 13. [4] R. Yohanan HaSandlar. [5] Saul Liebermanl. Ridifat Daat Yisrael. Salo Wittmayer Baron Jubilee volume, Vol 3, (Jerusalem, American Academy for Jewish Research,1974), The Talmud Bavli never says that Rabbi Akiva supported Bar Kokhba or recognized him as messiah (226, n. 92). [6] R. Akiva did not survive the torture (Berakhot 61b). See Lieberman, 224, n. 71. [7]Werner Eck (1983). Jahres-und Provinzialfasten der senatorischen Statthalter von 69/70 bis 138/139, 169-173. In Wikipedia. https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Quintus_Tineius_Rufus_(consul_127). [8] Gedaliah Alon. The History of the Jews in the Land of Israel in the Times of the Mishnah and Talmud."

"Hanina b. Hakhinai and R. Shimon b. Yochai went to learn Torah before R. Akiva in Bene Barak and stayed there for 13 years."