Mesada

Masada is a mountaintop, complete with ancient ruins, located in the Negev desert near the Dead Sea.

The word Masada means "fortress" in Hebrew. The cliff's remoteness from human habitation and difficult approach made it an ideal location for a fortress. Two fortified palaces were built there in the 1st century BC by the Judean king Herod the Great. After Herod's death, Masada was occupied by a Roman garrison. Jewish zealots captured it in AD 66

From AD 66-70, Masada became a refuge for Jewish zealots revolting against Roman rule. After the Romans conquered Jerusalem in AD 70, about 1000 men, women, and children escaped to Masada.

At the end of AD 72, the Romans set out to conquer Masada, the last point of Jewish insurrection. The Roman camp consisted of some 10,000-15,000 Roman soldiers and Jewish prisoners. Eight Roman army camps, linked by an earthen wall, were built in a circle around the base of Masada. The Jewish zealots fought the approaching army off with stones. When the Romans finally succeeded to breach the wall at the top of the mountain, the Jewish zealots knew they had lost the fight.

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