The Fortress at Masada

Josephus

The Jewish War 7.275–303

ca. 75

Silva Arrives at Masada

So the Roman general arrived with his forces to take on Eleazar and the Sicarii occupying Masada with him. Silva quickly established control of the whole surrounding area, set up guard-posts at strategic points, and built a wall completely encircling the fortress, to make it hard for any of the besieged…

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Masada is last of the rebel holdouts to fall to the Romans, in 73 or 74 CE. The Roman general Flavius Silva besieges the impregnable fortress, built by Herod, a resplendent edifice. The rebels are well provisioned within, where they find Herod’s storehouses generously stocked and intact.

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Related Guide

The Early Roman Period in History and Memory

1st Century BCE–3rd Century CE
Ancient, weathered stone relief showing people in robes carrying a large menorah and other objects in a procession.
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The First Jewish Revolt

66–73

Trace the causes and battles of the First Jewish Revolt, from the siege of Jerusalem to the destruction of the Temple and the fall of Masada.

Creator Bio

Josephus

37–100

Flavius Josephus was born into a prominent Jewish priestly family and served as a general stationed in the Galilee during the First Jewish Revolt (66–73 CE). He was captured by the Romans and eventually integrated into the Flavian imperial aristocracy, who commissioned him to compose chronicles of the Jewish–Roman war and the history of the Jews. Josephus’ works, all written in Greek, include The Jewish War, Jewish Antiquities, Against Apion, and his autobiography, Life of Josephus. These writings provide important insights into the Judaisms of the Second Temple period and include one of the few surviving accounts of the destruction of the Temple in 70 CE.

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