Long besieged by the overwhelming Roman army, the Jews of Masada fortress decided to commit suicide rather than surrender.
In the first century, the Roman Empire dominated the Mediterranean and conquered large swaths of the Middle East, including the Israelite kingdom of Hasmoneans . However, the brutal rule of the Roman Empire caused the Jews to constantly rise up to fight armed, in which the most memorable event was the death battle of nearly 1,000 Jews at Masada fortress in 70. , according to War History.
Masada fortress ruins today. (Image: Wikipedia).
In 66, the Jews of the province of Judea, in present-day northern Israel, began to rise up against the Roman Empire. Initially, the uprising was successful when turning the city of Jerusalem into a strong base. However, Jerusalem fell after a Roman siege and raid in 70, forcing the rebels to retreat to the defenses of Masada fortress.
Masada is a fortress and palace built by King Herod the Great of Judea. It was designed as a refuge for the king in times of crisis.
Masada Fortress is considered a masterpiece of architecture, as well as a difficult challenge for all enemies who want to besiege. This structure is located on the top of a mountain, surrounded by steep slopes, the only way to reach it is the winding monorail on the eastern side of the mountain. This was a long, dangerous road, forcing the attacking force to be divided into small groups to approach, leaving them vulnerable to the defenders’ ambush from above.
Normally, when a stronghold could not be attacked, it would be besieged for a long time, cutting off supplies so that the defenders would starve. However, Masada is a place that can deal with any threat. There are cellars deep in the mountain to store rainwater, and warehouses filled with food, and even a growing space to produce fresh food.
About 960 Jews were present in the fortress, mainly children, women and the elderly, when the Romans arrived. The leader of this group of people was Eleazer Ben Yair, a warrior from a family with a tradition of fighting against the Roman Empire.
Roman gathering area before the siege. (Image: Wikipedia).
Rome mobilized the 10th Fretensis Legion and its support force with over 5,000 soldiers, five times the number of people in the Masada fortress. The commander of the siege force was Flavius Silva, the governor of Judea province.
The Romans built a circular rampart around the fortress of Masada, to prevent the enemy from escaping to find reinforcements or launching a counterattack. The ramparts are built of stone and take advantage of the available terrain, large enough for patrolling and guarding, and there are many watchtowers to monitor every move at Masada. On the ramparts, there is also a catapult to attack as soon as the enemy is detected.
The Roman defenses also had a place to gather forces to launch attacks. This area is 280 m away from Masada fortress, allowing infantry units to approach the fort without being exposed to the defenders, as well as giving engineers a position to install catapults near the enemy’s lines. Jewish.
Taking advantage of the available stone blocks, the Roman engineer team built a long ramp of dirt and rubble running from the desert gathering place to the top of the hill. At the back of the line, they built a siege tower to deal with the large gate of Masada fortress.
This tactic left the defenders inside the fortress with no way to cope. The Roman army was sure of a quick victory and those inside Masada would have to surrender their weapons.
However, before the Roman army could attack, the Jews killed their families and committed suicide. They seemed to realize the inevitable outcome of the attack and decided not to surrender. When the Romans entered the fortress, they found only hundreds of corpses.
The ramp that attacked the fortress was built by Roman engineers. (Image: Wikipedia).
The fall of Masada fortress put an end to the uprising in Judea, but the story of this death-defeat became an inspiration to later generations of Jews.