maSADa

saturday june 24

today, we all got up around 3:30 am and made the trek to masada. we wanted to catch the sunrise. unfortunately, we didn't make it, but i was able to get a picture from the bus.

masada was beautiful and has an inspiring, historical story at that. the romans wanted to take over everything, and the last group of the jewish resistance was at the top of masada.

the roman governor, lucius flavius silva, led 8,000 men to take down the 960 men, women, and children who were at masada. the romans began building a ramp to reach the top. below is a picture of the ramp that the romans built.

the jewish rebels built a counter ramp, but the roman man-power was just too strong. in about three months, the romans were able to make their way to the top.

here's where it all gets interesting: the rebels were so set on not being taken over by the romans that they committed mass suicide and only a handful of men were left alive to fight a battle they knew was an inevitable loss.

the only account of this event is from flavius josephus, a jewish captive who chronicled the roman campaign.

archeologists have found no bones on the site, and some believe the story to be made-up. some archeologists think that the romans could have gotten rid of all of the bones. however, others say that finding the objects that they've found indicates that a fight indeed could have taken place. i guess we will never know what truly happened.

from masada, you are able to see what's left of the roman campsites below-- where they took residence in the midst of their seige preparation.

there is also a mound where the zealots, the jews who fought in the resistance, are buried.

also, on masada you are able to see the remains of herod's palace that existed before the takeover. it was amazing to see the leftover columns and exquisite wall design that still remained.

all-in-all, masada was a great experience! the hike up that mountain was worth the sweat and loss of sleep. another great day in the books!