Siege of Masada

Siege of Masada
Part of the First Jewish–Roman War

Masada National Park
DateLate 72 – early 73 (traditional date)
Late 73 – early 74 CE (proposed date)[1][2]
Location
Masada, Israel (then part of Judaea Province)
31°18′56″N 35°21′13″E / 31.31556°N 35.35361°E / 31.31556; 35.35361
Result Roman victory
Belligerents
Jewish Sicarii Roman Empire
Commanders and leaders
Eleazar ben Ya'ir † Lucius Flavius Silva
Strength
967, including non-combatants Legio X Fretensis 4,800
Auxiliaries and slaves 4,000–10,000
Casualties and losses
960 dead, 7 captured (2 women, 5 children), according to Josephus Unknown

The siege of Masada was one of the final events in the First Jewish–Roman War, occurring from 72 to 73 CE on and around a hilltop in present-day Israel.

The siege is known to history via a single source, Flavius Josephus,[3] a Jewish rebel leader captured by the Romans, in whose service he became a historian. According to Josephus the long siege by the troops of the Roman Empire led to the mass suicide of the Sicarii rebels and resident Jewish families of the Masada fortress.

In modern times, the story of the siege was revived as the Masada myth, a selectively constructed narrative based on Josephus's account. The mythical narrative became a national symbol in the early years of Israel's nationhood.[4]

  1. ^ Campbell, Duncan B. (1988). "Dating the Siege of Masada". Zeitschrift für Papyrologie und Epigraphik. 73 (1988): 156–158. JSTOR 20186870.
  2. ^ Cotton, Hannah M. (1989). "The Date of the Fall of Masada: The Evidence of the Masada Papyri". Zeitschrift für Papyrologie und Epigraphik. 78 (1989): 157–162. JSTOR 20187128.
  3. ^ The Myth of Masada: How Reliable Was Josephus, Anyway?: "The only source we have for the story of Masada, and numerous other reported events from the time, is the Jewish historian Flavius Josephus, author of the book The Jewish War."
  4. ^ Green 1997, pp. 414–416.