The ancient fortress city of Masada in fact was never conquered by the Roman soldiers who also went there in year 74. Before their eyes, they found only a horrendous massacre: the mass suicide of Jewish zealot resistant to the power of Rome and the occupied. Masada was built on a plateau of about six km ² situated on a rock 400 m above sea level compared to the Dead Sea, in south-eastern Judea. Walls five meters high - along a perimeter of a mile, with about forty more than twenty meters high towers - the enclosed, making it almost impregnable.
palace of Herod the Great
in 66 had been conquered by thousands of zealots who settled there with women and children, four years later - in 70 - the fall of Jerusalem, they found the last refuge strenuous rebels not yet willing to give up.
Two-year siege
The fort was besieged by Legio X Fretensis Flavio Sergio and other 7000 men for the most part slaves, as inaccessible as an eagle's nest, for almost three years, was built a rampart (sort of limes often two feet, still visible today) and an embankment seventy feet that rose up from below the walls of the fortress.
Realizing the imminent defeat, since the Romans were finally able to open a breach in the walls, the Zealot leader Eleazar Ben Yair, spoke to his people by inducing them to a collective suicide by the sword (drawn at random to groups, are in fact were still pieces of earthenware with written names drawn by lot, the men of the community, killing women and children then took off his life story) and this seemed to be a lot preferable to a secure state of slavery.
When the last resistance fell while the city was in flames, were to save only a few children and two women who had been hiding in a ravine to escape death. The Romans were thus able to enter Masada in now without defense, surprised to what happened, become a silent tribute to the brave resistance.
"Nevermore Masada fall"
After his seizure, Masada remained in the hands of the Romans to the Byzantine era to be discovered over a century and a half ago to become a symbol the Zionist cause. Israeli army recruits today are conducted on site to take the oath of allegiance to the cry of "Nevermore Masada fall" .
Masada was partially reconstructed and has become one of the most important archaeological sites in Israel thanks to the excavations carried out since the early '60s under the guidance by the archaeologist Yigael Yadin. Were brought to light the remains of the fortress are clear signs of Roman military camps, with mosaics of high quality bathrooms and even boulders launched from catapults. As a sign of employment zealot is only a small synagogue, while more recent, dating from the fifth century. is a basilica built by Byzantine monks of penitence.
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