Masada - full-moon stroll, overnight camping, the "Snake Path" and the Roman siege ramp

Read here about:

• The Maccabean Revolt against the Greek Selecid Empire & emergence of the independent Hasmonean Kingdom
• The Roman conquest & King Herod's rule
• The Great Jewish Revolt & destruction of the Second Temple
• The now-legendary Siege of Masada

We went on an overnight trip to Masada, which was led by the youth branch of SPNI (the Society for Protection of Nature in Israel).

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Masada is one of Israel's most popular tourist attractions (>750,000 visitors/year), and provided a symbol of Jewish courage and resistance during Israel's revival as a nation.

Masada, was designated an UN World Heritage site in 2001 due to the uniqueness of the nearly intact Roman siege camps and the luxurious Herodian palace at the top.

After our arrival we went on a full-moon night stroll followed by food preparation at a camp fire and overnight camping at the foot of the mountain.

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Camp fire:

Food preparation:

But before climbing to Masada we'll need a thorough preparation (click to skip directly to the climb).

Historical background:

Two decades after the Maccabean revolt (167-160 BCE), against the Hellenistic (Greek) Seleucid Empire, the Jewish Hasmonean dinasty came to rule Judea, semi-autonomously at first. With the crumbling of the Seleucid empire, they were able to gain independence (110 BCE) and to gradually expand their kingdom to include parts of Galilee, Iturea, Perea, Idumea and Samaria. It was during this period that the Jewish Kings first fortified Masada.

The Hasmonean Kingdom proved to be the last independent Kingdom of Israel. In 63 BCE the Roman Republic intervened in the succession war between two Hasmoneans, and Pompey conquered Jerusalem aided by one of the two. The kingdom was broken to pieces and transformed into a client state.

King Herod of an Edomite family converted to Judaism, took over the reigns of Judea in 37 BCE ruling on behalf of the Roman empire with an iron fist and (justified?) paranoia. He remains famous for colossal building projects throughout Judea, including the renovation, rebuilding and expansion of the Second Temple in Jerusalem (a.k.a. Herod's Temple), the construction of the port of Caesarea Maritima, Herodion, and expansive water works (aquaducts, tunnels, pools and bathhouses). He also fortified Masada and built two lavish palaces on top as hideout in case of danger.

The Second Temple (renovated and reconstructed by King Herod): 

Herod's rule however brought about widespread discontent because of the heavy taxation and his perceived disregard for Jewish law. In the decades following his death in 4 BCE, Judea was wracked by civil strife which culminated in the Great Jewish revolt (66-73 CE, a.k.a. the first Jewish-Roman war), the destruction of the Second Temple (70 CE) and the emergence of Early Christianity.

During the Revolt, various Jewish rebel groups fought against each other in a bitter civil war in addition to fighting the Romans. After a seven months siege Jerusalem fell to the Romans which destroyed the Second Temple, dismantled all city walls and ransacked and torched the entire city. The city's 600,000 to 1 million inhabitants were either killed, crucified or enslaved.

Destruction of the Second Temple:

Masada - its rise and fall

In 66 CE, a splinter group of Jewish rebels, the Sicarii, overcame the Roman garrison of Masada and took possesion of the fortress. After the destruction of the Second Temple, some Sicarii fled Jerusalem and joined the others on Masada's mountaintop.

In 73 CE, a 10,000 to 15,000 man strong Roman legion (including Jewish slaves) was sent to quash the last remains of the revolt and overtake the fortress. They were stationed in 8 camps surrounding the mountain, and laid siege to Masada which was sheltering about 1,000 rebels (including women and children). 

The cliffs of Masada tower above the surrounding landscape and the three paths that lead to the top were very difficult to navigate uphill against any resistance. The top of the mountain was also surrounded by walls and defense towers. The fortress had sufficient food in its storehouses and contained barracks, an armory, the two palaces, and enormous cisterns filled with rainwater.

According to their perfected siege technique, the Romans first built a 5 km long, 3 meter tall circumvallation stone wall around the mountain in order to prevent any escape or surprise attack by rebels.

Some of the best preserved Roman camps were discovered here:

The Romans then pursued building a siege ramp, an enormous earth mound on top of the existing incline. This ultimately allowed the Romans to bring a Battering Ram and Siege Towers and break through the walls to recapture the fortress some 6-7 years after it was first conquered by the rebels and 2-3 months after the Roman legion laid siege to it.

The ramp:

Roman siege engine and ram:

According to Josephus Flavius (born Joseph Ben Matityahu), the only historian of the time to tell the story of Masada in detail, the nearly 1000 Jewish Zealots in the fortress have (nearly all) killed each other following the breach of the wall rather than be submitted to Roman enslavement or execution. The story has became legendary in the past century, though in recent years some raised doubt about parts of it.

Following an impassionate speech by the rebel leader, Eleazar ben Ya'ir, a detailed plan was implemented in which each rebel first killed his wife and children; 10 men drawn by lots then killed all other men, with the remaining nine being killed by the last person who then committed suicide (which is forbidden according to Jewish law). 5 children and two women that hid in a water cistern escaped and recounted the story to the Romans. 

Found lots:

Watch an in-depth lecture about Masada and the siege (Univ. of North Carolina Archeology Professor) as well as several other fascinating videos on Masada.

Lets now finally proceed with our trip pictorial...

On the following morning we climbed on the famous "Snake Path" to the very top and returned via the siege ramp.

Sunrise:

The Snake path:

Starting our climb up the "Snake Trail":

Starting the descent via the Roman siege ramp:

Amazing in-depth lecture on Masada and its siege.
Dr. Jodi Magness (Univ. of North Carolina) puts together history and archeology in this 1.5 hour lecture:

"Masada". History Channel documentary (2002)

Mysteries of the Bible - Masada, The Last Fortress

The construction of Masada (also Herodion, Caesarea, water works (aquaducts, pools and baths), the Temple mount and the Second Temple and Jerusalem's walls) in "Lost worlds - Herod the Great":

About the changing significance of Masada in Israel:

Published on xcursii.blogspot.com