Day 6 - Masada

On Monday, we visited the fortress at Masada. It had been originally built by King Herod the Great as a palace away from his palace in Caesarea and in Jerusalem. Later, it was occupied by Jewish rebels and fugitives during what became known as the Bar Kochba rebellion from AD 132-135. Initially the Romans were driven out of Israel only to return determined to wipe out Jewish resistance once and for all. City by city, village by villiage the Romans came and took back the land. The rebels fled here along with some fugitives knowing that the fortress would provide for them during a long seige. Eventually, the Romans came and surrounded the mountain fortress. Within two years they built a seige ramp (which you can see pictured here) which led them up to the gates. The rebels concluded that an horoable death as free men would be better then Roman death and slavery for their families so they all took their own lives. When the Roman army entered Masada, they were left with no plunder and no rebels to execute.