By J. Ray
Redstone Review

PINEWOOD SPRINGS –  In the year 70 AD the Roman general Flavius Silva and his 10th Legion arrived at the desolate site of what would be the last rebellion in the Roman-Jewish War. In front of them rose a massive flat-topped mesa known as Masada, from the Hebrew word “metzada”, meaning fortress. It was the refuge of the Hebrew rebels Silva had been sent to subdue. The various buildings, palaces, baths,and cisterns on Masada were originally built by King Herod the Great in 37 – 31 BC. The top of the mesa easures around 1,800 by 900 feet. The sides are sheer cliffs varying from 300 to1300 ft. high. The only access is a narrow footpath.

Trouble had long been brewing in the Roman province of Judea. The Jewish inhabitants repeatedly violated religious laws by insisting on the worship of their own God in their own temple, and generally refused to acknowledge Roman rule. The Roman-Jewish War began in 66AD when Emperor Nero sent general Vaspasian to end a rebellion in Galilee. Vaspasian soon became emperor and sent his son Titus to finish the job. A long bitter siege ended when Titus sacked Jerusalem and destroyed the Hebrew Temple. The gold he brought
back to Rome enabled Titus to finish his father’s pet project, the Flavian Amphitheater, also known as the Coliseum.

In mid-conflict a group of Hebrew rebels called the Sicarri had escaped to Masada. Many others later joined them until the group numbered around 950. Having ample food and water, the rebels were determined to escape Roman rule.

General Silva was just as determined to defeat them. With methodical Roman efficiency, Silva began by circling the huge mesa with a wall and nine garrisons of soldiers. No one could get out and nothing could get in. He then set his men to the task of building an earthen ramp so the fortified walls on the top of Masada could be breached with a battering ram.

During the three years of the siege, the rebels could clearly see what their fate would be. They consistently pelted the Romans with rocks and as a final defiance, would let their waste water run down the cliffs just to taunt the thirsty soldiers laboring in the hot sun. The ramp was finally completed. The Jewish leaders decided not to be taken alive into slavery and torture. The night before their impending capture, they slew their families and then drew lots to determine who would kill the other leaders before killing himself. Small pieces of pottery with the leaders’ names on them have been found by archaeologists. Contrary to popular belief, there was only one suicide on Masada in 73AD.

The story of Masada was recorded by the Hebrew historian, Josephus. Early in the war he had saved his own life by agreeing to work for the Romans. He noted that two women and five children survived the fatal outcome by hiding in one of the large cisterns. The Roman ramp is still there for all to see. In modern times, Masada became the place where officers in the Israeli Army were required to take their military oath.

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