The Holyoaks in the Holy Land: Masada

Masada is a freestanding mesa and historical mountain near the southwestern shore of the Dead Sea (the lowest point on earth, 1,400' below sea level.) The name, Masada, comes from the Hebrew word "fortress." We drove to the site then took cable cars to the top of the Mesa. Photos don't begin to give a proper perspective of the immensity of the area and the fortress which rises about 4,845 feet above sea level.

Photo: Inside Masada's visitor's center. Have any of you seen the movie,"Masada"? It was filmed in 1981 starring Peter O'Toole and filmed onsite at Masada. The details and historical accuracy of the movie is impressive. From the uniforms and the war machines to the setting of the camp of 8,000 Roman soldiers, the movie accurately portrays what happened when the determined Romans planned to seize the fortress and capture almost 1,000 Isralites (Sicarii). The ending is tragic.

Photo: Cable car mount.

The story is complicated and I hope my facts are correct. Herod the Great left his family at Masada which was first fortified by Alexander Jannaeus when he went to Rome to be named King of Judea (103-76 BC). During his reign, Herod rebuilt and enlarged Masada which was comprised of two palaces, a swimming pool, Roman bath, storage buildings, and a case-mate wall (a space between two walls that is reinforced with mud or straw) that included living quarters and a dining hall for soldiers. Mules brought supplies to the mountain on the "Snake Path," a very narrow path to the top.

Photo: Arial view from cable car. Josephus Flavius was the commander of the Galilee during the Great Revolt. At the time of Masada's conquest, he was in Rome. According to Josephus, Masada was first constructed by the Hasmoneans between 37 and 31 BCE; then Herod the Great fortified it as a refuge for himself in the event of a revolt.

During the First Revolt against Rome in AD 66 - 72, the Sicarii seized Masada. Sicarii is a Latin word meaning "dagger men" who were led by Eleazar Ben Yair. They were Jewish renegaids (assasins) who raided Jewish villages like Ein Gedi and killed hundreds of women and children with their knives. When Sacarii took over this fortress, they made a synagogue inside and a mikveh (purification font) outside. They thought this fortress was impregnable. The Romans attacked Masada after conquering Jerusalem and the Herodion. Although he was not present at the event, Josephus provided the only description of Masada's fall.

We spent three hours at this site and there was so much to see. Below is one of 29 long excavated rooms used for the storage of food, liquids, and weapons.

Photo: Unexcavated storage room.

Photo: Outside the bath house.

Photo:Bath house.

Photo: The inside of the bath house was elaborate and it was evident it had been carefully planned. Bathhouses were an integral part of Roman culture. You would enter into a dressing room, paved floors and fresco-adorned walls. Hot air flowed under the double floor; the upper floor stood on brick and stone columns. Hot air flowed under the floor and rose through the clay pipes embedded in the walls. Nearby was a basin to where hot water was channeled. The room had wide, faulted ceilings.

Photo: Roman bath.

Photo: Inside bath house.

Photo: Notice the tile marks on the walls of the bathhouse.

Clay tiles were reconstructed and modeled after the originals. The tiles were hollow which allowed the steam to flow upward and into the room.

Photo: Northern Palace.

Photo: Steps to Northern Palace. The Northern Palace was built on three rock terraces and supported by very impressive retaining walls. The palace was built to host high-ranking visitors and to allow the King his solitude. Herod and his family lived on the upper level and the two lower levels were for receptions. The rooms were paved with mosaics in geometric patterns and the walls were plastered and covered with frescoes.

Herod's palace was truly incredible!

Photo: When we got to the area of the Northern Palace, we came to a large, open area with columns.

To build the each column, cylindrical-shaped stones were stacked, plastered and then grooves were carved out to make each column appear fluted.

Photo: Walking along the Northern Palace edge.

When it rained, aqueducts (or small canals) ran into cisterns which kept Masada supplied with water. This model demonstrates how the water was channeled into the aqueducts and then into cisterns.

Photo: Cistern.

Photo: Western Palace.

Photo: Western Palace and room where Herod had his throne. Notice the black lines on the walls? These lines mark where the original walls were excavated then additional stones were added to build up the walls.

Photo: Tile floor in Western Palace.

Photo: Western Palace wall.

According to Josephus, Masada was the last rebel stronghold in Judea. In 73 CE, the Roman Tenth Legion laid siege to the mountain. The legion, consisting of 8,000 troops among which were auxiliary forces, built eight camps around the base, a siege wall, and a ramp made of earth and wooden supports on a natural slope to the west. Captive Jews brought water to the troops, apparently from En Gedi, as well as food.

Photo below: This is the ramp the Romans built up to Masada.

Photo: It took the Romans months to haul dirt and rocks to build the ramp.

Below: Remains of the Roman camps can still be seen at the base of the plateau. (Rectangular area of rocks)

Photo: Tower built by the Romans. The Romans eventually breached the walls of Masada. There was no battle, for the defenders of Masada had committed suicide rather than die at the hands of the Romans.

"Since we long ago resolved never to be servants to the Romans, nor to any other than to God Himself, who alone is the true and just Lord of mankind, the time is now come that obliges us to make that resolution true in practice ... We were the very first that revolted, and we are the last to fight against them; and I cannot but esteem it as a favor that God has granted us, that it is still in our power to die bravely, and in a state of freedom." — Elazar ben Yair

Photo above: Here several hundred pottery shards were found with names of Sicarii and confirms drawing of the lots on the last night of the revolt. Because Judaism prohibits suicide, Josephus reported that the defenders had drawn lots and killed each other in turn, down to the last man, who would be the only one to actually take his own life. Josephus says that Eleazar ordered his men to destroy everything except the foodstuffs to show that the defenders retained the ability to live, and so had chosen death over slavery. However, archaeological excavations have shown that storerooms which contained their provisions were also burnt, though whether this was by Romans, Jews, or of natural fire spreading. It is unclear but it can be assumed the Sicarii made every effort to leave nothing for the Romans.

As Josephus describes it, when the hope of the rebels dwindled, Eleazar Ben Yair gave two speeches in which he convinced the leaders of the 960 members of the community that it would be better to take their own life and the lives of their families than to live in shame and humiliation as Roman slaves.

Photo: Dead Sea. Upon entering Masada, the Romans discovered that the Jewish inhabitants were all dead. Josephus describes how the Sicarii killed their families and then each other, casting lots to determine who would kill his colleagues, then himself but according to Josephus Flavius (The Wars of the Jews, VII, 395-406), two women and five children who had been hiding in the cisterns on the mountaintop told the Romans what had happened that night, on the 15th of Nissan, the first day of Passover. The siege of Masada is often as "a symbol of Jewish heroism". To Israel, it symbolized the courage of the warriors of Masada, the strength they showed when they were able to keep hold of Masada for almost three years and their choice of death over slavery in their struggle against an aggressive empire.