Researchers from the Institute of Archeology at Tel Aviv University used advanced technologies of drones, remote sensing, and 3D computer modeling to obtain, for the first time, quantitative and objective information about the Roman siege on Masada. The findings revealed that contrary to commonly held belief, the Roman army’s siege on the rebels in Masada in 73 CE lasted a few weeks at most.
The research was carried out by the excavation expedition to Masada on behalf of the Neustadter family, on behalf of the Institute of Archeology of Tel Aviv University, led by Dr. Guy Stiebel and in collaboration with Dr. Chai Ashkenazi (currently Director of Geoinformatics at the Israel Antiquities Authority), the doctoral students Boaz Gross (Tel Aviv University and Israel Institute of Archeology), and Omer Ze’evi (today at the University of Bonn).
The research was conducted as part of an extensive project that applies innovative research tools and asks new questions to understand, among other things, what really happened in Masada. The article was published in the prestigious Journal of Roman Archaeology (The Roman siege system of Masada: a 3D computerized analysis of a conflict landscape).
Dr. Stiebel noted: “In 2017, we renewed the excavations at the Masada site, on behalf of Tel Aviv University. The famous site has been studied extensively since the beginning of the 19th century and throughout the 20th century, but contemporary research allows us to apply innovative tools, ask new questions, and reach new insights into what happened there – before, during, and after the Great Rebellion. To this end, we have initiated a comprehensive project that applies remote sensing technologies using drones and aerial photographs to collect the most accurate information from the area surrounding Masada, on three main topics: the water systems, the path systems leading to the site, and the most accurate Roman siege system around Masada.
“The data collected from the field is used to build 3D computer models, which provide us with a clear picture, with the highest resolution, of the findings. In the current study, we focused on the siege system, which thanks to its isolated location and desert climate, is the best-preserved Roman siege system in the world.”
Dr. Stiebel added: “For many years, a myth was established that the Roman siege of Masada was a long and arduous event, which lasted about three years. In recent decades, researchers have begun to challenge this assertion, for various reasons. We asked for the first time to examine the issue using innovative tools that allow objective measurements.”
WHAT DID JOSEPHUS SAY?
According to ancient Jewish historian Josephus Flavius, in 66 CE, at the beginning of the First Jewish–Roman War, a group of Jewish extremists called the Sicarii overcame the Roman garrison in Masada and settled there. The Sicarii were commanded by Eleazar ben Ya’ir, and in 70 CE they were joined by additional Sicarii and their families expelled from Jerusalem by the Jewish elite.
In 72 CE, the Roman governor of Judaea, Lucius Flavius Silva, led Legion X Fretensis, several auxiliary units, and Jewish captives, totaling some 15,000 men and women to lay siege to the 960 people up on Masada’s summit.
According to Josephus, “The Jews hoped that all of their nation beyond the Euphrates would join together with them to raise an insurrection,” but in the end, there were only 960 Jewish Zealots who fought the Roman army at Masada. When these Zealots were trapped on top of Masada with nowhere to run, Josephus reports that the Zealots believed “it was by the will of God, and by necessity, that they must die.”
WHAT REALLY HAPPENED THERE?
The researchers used remote sensing technologies, using drones for aerial photographs to collect data of all the buildings in the siege system: height, width, and depth, with the highest resolution, down to a one-millimeter accuracy. This data was used to build a computerized 3D model, which enabled the calculation of the volume and duration of the construction.
Dr. Ashkenazi said: “There are reliable estimates of the number of stones and the amount of earth that a Roman soldier was able to move in a day, for the construction task. It is known that about 6,000 to 8,000 Roman soldiers participated in the siege of Masada, and we objectively calculated how much time they spent building the entire siege system – eight camps and a stone wall that surrounded most of the site. We found that the construction took less than two weeks, and based on ancient sources it can be estimated that immediately after its completion the Romans carried out an attack and occupation that lasted at most a few weeks. From this, we conclude that the entire siege lasted several weeks at most.”
Dr. Stiebel concluded: “The narrative of Masada, the rebellion, the siege, and the tragic ending that, according to Josephus, marked the end of Great Revolt, has long since become part of the Israeli DNA and the Zionist narrative, and has been published all over the world.
“One of the most prominent elements of the myth is the length of the siege: how difficult it was for the magnificent Roman army to score the citadel and subdue its defenders. For years, it was assumed that the event spread over three years, but in recent decades, researchers have begun to challenge this assertion. In our research, for the first time, we applied objective measurements with advanced technological tools to give this issue a scientifically-based answer.
“According to our findings, we estimate that the Roman siege of Masada lasted a few weeks at most. The Romans came, saw, and conquered, and the suppression of the rebellion in the isolated site was done quickly and without mercy. However, our conclusions do not in any way diminish the importance of the historical event, and we are still left with significant questions, such as: why did the Romans choose to invest so much effort in conquering a seemingly remote and neglected site? In order to answer those intriguing questions, we are continuing an extensive and innovative research project in Masada and its environs – to collect data and perform an in-depth analysis of the material in the lab of the Institute of Archeology at Tel Aviv University and in collaboration with quite a few researchers, which has the potential to shed new light on the riddle: What really happened there?”
