Magness, Jodi Masada. Der Kampf der Juden gegen Rom

Masada is their last refuge. 967 Jewish men, women and children want to defy the siege of the Romans here, in the rock fortress built by Herod the Great above the Dead Sea. They are the last insurgents to fight the Romans in the so-called Jewish War, a war that had actually ended three years earlier, in 70 AD, after the Romans destroyed Jerusalem and its Temple.

When it is clear that the fortress is going to fall, those trapped commit collective suicide. What is it about this story, which only one ancient author has handed down? What makes it so significant to this day that the site is an absolute magnet for visitors? The renowned archaeologist Jodi Magness led the excavations of the Roman siege fortifications here. She sheds new light on Masada from both an archaeological and historical perspective, embedded in the history of Judea from Herod the Great through the time of Jesus to the fall of Masada.