powered by FreeFind	Masada 380 pictures     10.20 minutes HQ video Masada is located at the top of an isolated mountain situated on the eastern slopes of the Judean Desert, close to the western coast of the Dead Sea, between Sdom and Ein Gedi. The cliff reaches a height of 440 m above the Dead Sea (50 m above sea level) and is isolated from its surroundings by deep gorges on all sides. Its flat peak is 650 m long and 300 m wide. The topographical position of Masada, its remoteness from human habitation, its natural fortifications and isolation made it a perfect location for a fortress during the Second Temple period. Masada Historical Background Masada during Hasmonean times Josephus Flavius of Yossef Ben-Matityahu, a Jewish historian, had originally been one of the leaders of the Great Revolt but later surrendered at Yodfat. He joined the Roman forces, and from their ranks observed the final stages and ultimate suppression of the Revolt. According to Flavius, the Great Priest Jonathan the Hasmonean built an important fortress on Masada. It is possible that Flavius is referring to Alexander Yanai, as coins dating back to this period were found at the site. From the viewpoint of archaeological research, Masada during Hasmonean times is still a mystery. Masada during King Herod's time Herod, who ruled under Roman patronage, chose Masada as a place of refuge from potential enemies both at home and abroad. On Masada he built fortifications and splendid palaces for himself and his entourage. This unique desert cliff fortress was described by Flavius as being "… fortified by Heaven and man alike against any enemy who might wage war against it". After Herod's death, the Roman garrison continued to occupy Masada. Masada under the Zealots In the year 66 CE, at the beginning of the great Revolt against Rome, a group of Sicarii commanded by Menahem Ben-Yehuda of Galilee captured Masada from the garrison stationed here. (The Sicarii were a group of Zealot extremists determined to fight against the Romans till death, and were named after the "Sica" - a dagger which they carried). During the years of the Revolt, Masada became a refuge for more Zealots who fled with their families, as well as for other desperate elements such as the Essenes. Following the murder of Menahem by his opponents in Jerusalem, his surviving followers, amongst them his nephew Elazar Ben-Yair, who later became the commander of the fortress, fled to Masada. After the destruction of the Temple in 70 CE, the last rebellious members reached Masada. Designed as a stronghold for a king, the fortress now became a refuge for the masses, who used various parts of the palaces as well as thin walled rooms in the casemate wall as their dwellings. Buildings such as a synagogue, public hall and ritual-baths were erected. The nature of the place and the situation made cooperative living arrangements essential. In 72 CE, three years after Titus captured Jerusalem and destroyed the Temple, the Roman army under the leadership of the procurator Flavius Silva, turned to Masada in an attempt to conquer the fortress. At first they had hoped that the besieged people would surrender due to hunger and thirst. Silva's camp numbered some ten to fifteen thousand men, while the entire besieged population on Masada numbered 967 people, including men, women and children. The siege lasted several months, during which time the Romans continued with their efforts to prepare an embarkment on the western slope. Once the wall was breached, the besieged Zealots improvised a wood-and-soil wall. But when the Romans set fire to the earthen wall, the Jewish warriors, realizing that there was no hope left, decided to take their own lives rather than to be captured by the Romans. It was then that their leader, Elazar Ben-Yair, delivered his famous speech. As Josephus Flavius writes, In one of the most powerful chapters of his book: "They then chose ten men from amongst them by lot, who would slay all the rest; every one of whom laid himself down by his wife and children on the ground, and threw his arms about them, and they offered their necks to the stroke of those who by lot executed that melancholy office; and when these ten had without fear slain them all, they made the same rule for casting lots for themselves, that he whose lot it was should first kill the other nine, and after all, should kill himself… and he who was last of all, examined the mass of those who lay on the ground, and when he had perceived that they were all slain, he set fire to all corners of the royal palace, and with the great force of his hand ran his sword into his body up to the hilt, and fell dead beside his kinsmen. Thus they all died believing that they had left no living soul behind to bear the Roman yoke… The Romans expected that they should be fought in the morning, accordingly put on their armour and laid bridges upon their ladders from their banks, to make an assault upon the fortress… saw nobody as an enemy, but a terrible solitude on every side, with a fire within the palace, as well as a perfect silence… They were at a loss to guess at what had happened… yet did they not easily give their attention to such a desperate undertaking, and did not believe it could be… nor could they do other than wonder at the courage of their resolution, and at the immovable contempt of death which so great a number of them had shown, when they went through with such an action as that was". This calamitous slaughter took place on the 15th day of Nissan, the first day of Pessach, in the year 73 CE. Masada during the Byzantine period Following the tragic death of Masada's defenders, the fortress fell into Roman hands and was occupied by them for several years. Subsequently, Masada lay desolate and uninhabited for hundreds of years. In the 5th and 6th centuries a few Christian monks settled here. They adapted a number of caves as dwellings, and built cells in a number of places in or near the ruined buildings. They also erected a church close to the ruins of the western palace. They and their successors stayed for more than a hundred years. When they left, Masada became desolate once again. The Water Supply System Masada's arid region lacks a permanent water supply. In spite of this, Herod erected an intricate system which supplied an abundance of water to the various installations on the mountain: bathhouses, pools, etc. Even at a place where water was so scarce, Herod insisted on usual luxuries. Flavius writes: "And everywhere Herod made hewn water cisterns, and thus he succeeded in providing the inhabitants of the place with water, even as if they had spring water". Dams in the nearby wadis diverted the winter season flood waters to built-up channels, along which the water flowed into cisterns hewn in the flank at the northwest side of the cliff, on two levels. These pools contained a total volume of 40,000 cubic meters of water, and from here water was taken to the upper reservoir. Snake Path Lookout Point from here we have a view of the Roman camps, the siege-wall (rampart), the Dead Sea and the Moab Mountains. Storehouses The storehouses which served as the central food and weapons storage area. The storehouses which had initially served Herod and later the Zealots are arranged in groups and were joined by means of a ramified system of corridors. Many storage vessels were discovered here. large Bathhouse the large bathhouse which was an integral part of the Northern Palace. It was built in Roman style and included a courtyard surrounded by pillars which served as a gymnasium, a dressing room (apodyterium), a cold room (frigidarium), a lukewarm (tepidarium), and a hot room (caldarium) with its double floor forming the space (hypocaust) through which hot air flowed. The Bathhouse is decorated with mosaics, colored stone tiles and frescoes. Northern Palace The Northern Palace, which is one of the most magnificent of Herod's buildings. The palace, vividly described in Flavius' writings, was built upon three layers with height differences of some 30 meters. It served for the reception of special guests and for the king's privacy. Near its entrance were the guardrooms, bedrooms and a main hall (in which 3 small rooms were built for monks during the Byzantine period). The semi-circular balcony was probably surrounded by pillars. upper terrace From the upper terrace one sees the palace's lower levels. Also noticeable is the Roman path which joined the springs of the Ze'elim River with the Roman camps. We now turn back to the area just outside the Bathhouse, the lower levels of the palace To the lower levels of the palace, walking down some 100 stairs to the middle terrace. We pass a hewn cistern and a "Mikveh" (Ritual Bath), and reach a space which was probably a round hall constructed of two circles of pillars. Under the rock wall are a staircase and living rooms. To the lower terrace, descending 65 more stairs, where there was a rectangular hall surrounded by pillars and decorated with frescoes. To the east was a cellar in which a Roman-style bathhouse was discovered, and amongst its ruins were found the skeleton of a man and the scalp of a woman with brown hair in plaits. -"Lottery" Area The "Lottery" Area, where ostraca bearing 11 names were found, one bearing the name 'Benyair' - the leader of Masada's Zealots. It seems likely that these were the 'lots' drawn for the mass suicide which took place on Masada. the Northern Palace Lookout From here one sees the Judean Desert, and some of the Roman camps. The Synagogue This is a hall surrounded by stone benches and structurally connected with the casemate wall. Beneath its floor, in the northwestern corner, fragments of Deuteronomy and Ezekiel have been found. Western Palace The Western Palace which included the royal wing (for residential and ceremonial use), with its many rooms, water and bathing installations and decorated mosaic floors. The service quarters and storerooms are alongside, on the west wing. The Small Church The small church built by monks during the Byzantine period. The Roman Siege FThe Roman army included the Tenth Legion with the usual auxiliaries, and thousands of Jewish prisoners used as unskilled labourers. This force set up eight camps encircling the mountain and linked by a rampart. The fortress could be conquered only by breaching the wall and waging a direct assault. Thus, a huge earthen ramp was built to the west of the mountain, offering easy access to the wall. They used siege engines, and protected under cover of arrows and stones. After seven months of siege, the Romans broke through the walls, thus sealing Masada's fate and leading the besieged Jews to take their last, terrible decision. Last Honours On Monday 21st of Tammuz (7 July 1969) the remains of the last defenders of Masada, who had fallen three years after the destruction of the temple (73 A.D.) were buried in this place. They were buried by the decision of the government of Israel with full military honours. View to the death sea Back to Israel Index