The Siege of MasadaIn 66 AD a large Jewish partisan group called the “Sicarii” rebelled

The Siege of MasadaIn 66 AD a large Jewish partisan group called the “Sicarii” rebelled against the Roman Empire, expelling the Roman garrison and most Roman citizens from Judea. The Romans struck  back, invading with a large army, laying siege to and razing most of Jerusalem, and destroying the Jewish Temple. By the year 72 AD, the Sicarii movement had been mostly exterminated, and only a few desperate holdouts were left.  One of the last pockets of resistance was the Sicarii garrison of Masada, located in the Southern District of Israel near the Dead Sea.  Masada was a large table top mountain or plateau roughly around 300 feet high on the eastern edge and 1,400 feet high on the western edge. Between 37 and 31 BC, the Jewish ruler Herod the Great ordered the construction of a large palace fortress on Masada, just in case there should be a rebellion by his subjects. After the fall of Jerusalem, the fortress was occupied by 967 Sicarri, led by the Jewish rebel Eleazar Ben Ya'ir. To take the fortress, the Empire sent the 10th Legion, led by the Roman general and governor Lucis Flavius Silva. When the 10th Legion arrived, they realized that taking Masada would not be easy. The Sicarii had dug in and were prepared to resist to the last.  The fortress was well stocked with food, and was complete with a large water cistern. The only route to or from the fortress was a narrow zigzaging pathway that was barely large enough for two people to climb at once. It was quite clear that the Sicarii could hold out for a very long time.While the fortress of Masada was formidable, it was certainly nothing that the Romans couldn’t handle.  While Roman soldiers were excellent fighters, they were even better builders and engineers. Roman soldiers knew how to build roads, walls, siege equipment, and fortifications, and they especially knew how to tear them down. The Romans first built a siege wall around Masada.  Then they proceeded to build a massive 375 foot high ramp up the mountain, moving hundreds of tons of stone, earth, and clay, then piling it up by hand while being pelted by arrows and rocks from the defenders. After three months of construction, the ramp was complete. To end the siege, the Romans laboriously pushed a large siege tower and battering ram up the ramp. On April 16th, 73 AD, the Romans successfully breached the wall.  When they stormed the fortress, they found nothing but death and desolation.  The Sicarii had burned all of their supplies, then comitted mass suicide rather than be captured.  According to the Jewish historian Josephus, Jewish religious law forbids suicide, so the rebels drew lots to kill each other to the last man.  Only 2 women and 5 children were found alive.Masada was extensively excavated by archaeologists between 1963 and 1965. Today it is an Israeli National Park and tourist attraction.  Most of what remains of the fortress is rubble, the Roman siege ramp is still mostly intact. -- source link

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