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The siege of Masada was one of the final events in the First Jewish–Roman War, occurring from 72 to 73 CE on and around a hilltop in present-day Israel. The siege is known to history via a single source, Flavius Josephus , [ 3 ] a Jewish rebel leader captured by the Romans , in whose service he became a historian.
The Roman legion surrounded Masada, building a circumvallation wall and then a siege ramp against the western face of the plateau. [11] According to Dan Gill, [ 19 ] geological investigations in the early 1990s confirmed earlier observations that the 114 m (375 ft) high assault ramp consisted mostly of a natural spur of bedrock.
In one account, given in the Talmud, they destroyed the city's food supply, using starvation to force the people to fight against the Roman siege, instead of negotiating peace. Their leaders, including Menahem ben Yehuda and Eleazar ben Ya'ir , were notable figures in the war, and the group fought in many battles against the Romans as soldiers.
The First Jewish War had in the siege of Jerusalem the "key" operation in the Roman victory. [49] It is said that the future emperor Titus first built around the besieged city in addition to a large camp, used as headquarters, thirteen forts [ 50 ] connected by a contravallation of almost 8 km [ 51 ] and as many as 5 siege ramps. [ 52 ]
Despite the common misconception, Eleazar ben Simon the Zealot is not the same person as Eleazar ben Ya'ir, the Sicarii leader at Masada.In Josephus' Bellum Judaicum, the primary source of the First Jewish-Roman War, important historical figures are introduced with their patrimonial name when they first appear, and addressed by first name in all following appearances.
Menahem ben Judah lived around the time of the First Jewish–Roman War and is mentioned by Josephus. He was the leader of a faction called the Sicarii who carried out assassinations of Romans and collaborators in the Holy Land. [1]
The Pillage of Ein Gedi refers to the Sicarii raid of Ein Gedi during the First Jewish–Roman War. According to Josephus, on Passover, the Sicarii of Masada raided Ein Gedi, a nearby Jewish settlement, and killed 700 of its inhabitants. [1] [2] [3] Josephus' account is the only known record of the pillage and its perpetrators.
The First Jewish-Roman War ended with the devastating siege and destruction of Jerusalem in 70 CE, including the burning of the Second Temple—the center of Jewish religious and national life. Roman forces destroyed other towns and villages throughout Judaea, causing massive loss of life and displacement of the population. [ 12 ]