ARCHAEOLOGY HISTORY

Archaeology History Reconstructed Of MT. Masada And The Roman Siege

Archaeology History Reconstructed of Mt. Masada and the Roman Siege

Introduction

Masada is a mountain top fortress located in Israel on the western shore of the Dead Sea. The name Masada is derived from the Hebrew word "metzude", which means "the mountain castle" or the "stronghold". At Masada's top are the remains of elaborate buildings built by Herod the Great during his reign in the first century BC. (Yadin 2002: 14)

Discussion

Masada is a symbol of freedom and courage to Jews because of its history, specifically the events of the Jewish revolt against Rome in the first century AD recorded by Josephus, when the Zealots held out against Rome for three years at Masada before choosing mass suicide over surrender. Today, Masada is a popular tourist attraction because of its intriguing structures, beautiful view, and mysterious history. (Yonah 2000:5)

Masada is situated on the top of an isolated rock on the edge of the Judean Desert and the Dead Sea Valley, about 25 km south of En Gedi. It is directly opposite Mt. Moab in Jordan. As a result of its location, the climate at Masada is extremely dry, which has well preserved some of the artifacts. Masada is a diamond shaped plateau and is 1,900 feet long and 650 feet wide, covering a total of 23 acres. Masada rises 1,300 feet above the Dead Sea. The top of Masada can only be reached by two natural approaches: a "snake path" on the east face and the "White Rock" path on the west face.

The only significant historical sources of information about Masada are the writings of Josephus: The Jewish Wars, written between 75-79 AD, and The Jewish Antiquities, written in 93-94 AD. Josephus relates that Masada was first fortified by the high priest Jonathan. The identity of Jonathan has been attributed to either the brother of Judah Maccabee, living in the mid second century BC, or more likely to Alexander Jannaeus, living in 103-76 BC. (Friedman 2007) The only archaeological evidence from this period are some coins dating back to Alexander Jannaeus and plaster from some of the cisterns that dates to this time.

Herod's Construction

The second occupant of Masada was Herod the Great. In 40 BC Herod fled from Jerusalem to Masada with his family in order to escape from Mattathias Antigonus, who had been made king by the Parthians. Herod left his family, his brother Joseph, and 800 men at Masada to defend it against a siege made by Antigonus. According to Josephus, the defenders almost died of dehydration but were saved by a sudden rainstorm that filled the creeks and pits on the summit of the rock.Upon Herod's return from Rome, he raised the siege and rescued his family. After this incident, Herod transformed Masada into a luxurious fortress. According to Josephus, "Herod furnished this fortress as a refuge for himself, suspecting a twofold of danger: peril on the one hand from the Jewish people, (Watzman 2007) lest they should ...