Question: What Is Important About Masada?
Answer: Masada is a fortress on a plateau near the southwestern coast of the Dead Sea. It was founded, according to the Jewish historian Josephus, by an Hasmonean king of Judaea in the late 2nd century B.C. It was subsequently fortified by King Herod, who died in 4 B.C., and later, defended against Rome by Jewish rebels, sicaroi 'knifemen', from A.D. 66-74. What is significant about this fortress is Josephus' account of heroic resistance. He states that rather than surrender to the Romans, there was a mass, pre-meditated suicide of 960 rebels. This number has not been validated by archaeologists. [See Frontline: The Credibility of Josephus.]
