Why did the Roman soldiers dismantle the temple stone by stone?
According to Josephus, the Roman soldiers dismantled Herod's temple stone by stone because they had heard a rumor that immense gold and other wealth was hidden between its building stones. They tore it down looking for that supposed treasure, fulfilling Jesus' prediction that not one stone would remain upon another.
Les explains that Matthew 24 is all tribulation ground, with no church age doctrine. Jesus departed the temple and predicted not one stone would be left upon another, pointing to the siege by Roman armies under Titus. Josephus records—though it is not Scripture—that Roman soldiers heard a rumor of immense gold and wealth hidden between the building stones of Herod's temple. Soldiers being soldiers, they tore it down stone by stone looking for that supposed hidden wealth. Whatever the reason, that is what happened. The temple was utterly destroyed, not by fire as Nebuchadnezzar destroyed Solomon's temple (built primarily of cedars of Lebanon), but stone by stone because Herod's temple was predominantly stones with precious gold and silver. Only a small segment of the western wall remained, known today as the Wailing Wall.