Masada
Sign in to saveMasada ( '''', 'fortress'; ) is a mountain-top fortress complex in the Judaean Desert, overlooking the western shore of the Dead Sea in southeastern Israel. The fort, built in the first century BC, was constructed atop a natural plateau rising over above the surrounding terrain, east of modern Arad.
AI overview
Masada is a mountain-top fortress located in the Judaean Desert near the Dead Sea in southeastern Israel, built in the first century BC on a naturally elevated plateau. The site is significant as an ancient fortification that survives as a notable archaeological landmark in the region.
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Key facts
- Ancient site.name
- Masada
- Ancient site.image
- Israel-2013-Aerial 21-Masada.jpg
- Ancient site.caption
- An aerial view of Masada, from the north
- Ancient site.map_type
- Israel
- Ancient site.map_size
- 150
- Ancient site.location
- Southern District, Israel
- Ancient site.type
- Fortification
- Ancient site.builder
- Alexander Jannaeus (?)Herod the Great
- Ancient site.built
- 1st century BC
- Ancient site.event
- Siege of Masada
- Ancient site.excavations
- 1963–1965
- Ancient site.archaeologists
- Yigael Yadin
Article
35 sectionsContents
- Geography
- History
- Hasmonean fortress
- Herodian palace-fortress
- First Jewish–Roman War
- Byzantine monastery of Marda
- Archaeology
- Chalcolithic period
- Identification and initial digs
- Yigael Yadin expedition
- Epigraphic findings
- Human remains
- Roman-period palm seed
- Byzantine monastery
- Archaeology vs. Josephus
- No Hasmonean buildings found
- Inaccurate description
- Historicity of mass suicide
- Phases and layout
- Phase I: Western Palace etc.
- Phase II: Northern Palace etc.
- Phase III: casemate wall etc.
- Modern tourism
- Legacy and symbolism
- Masada myth
- World War II
- Israeli army
- In popular culture
- Gallery
- See also
- References
- Further reading
- History
- Archeological reports
- External links
Masada ( '''', 'fortress'; ) is a mountain-top fortress complex in the Judaean Desert, overlooking the western shore of the Dead Sea in southeastern Israel. The fort, built in the first century BC, was constructed atop a natural plateau rising over above the surrounding terrain, east of modern Arad.
The most significant remains at the site date to the reign of Herod the Great, King of Judaea , who transformed Masada into a fortified desert refuge early in his rule. He enclosed the summit with a casemate wall and towers, and constructed storerooms, an advanced water system, and bathhouses, along with two elaborate palaces: one on the western side and another built across three terraces on the northern cliff. These palaces remain among the finest examples of Herodian architecture.
Gallery (28)
Connections
Categories
1st-century battles1st-century BC fortifications30s BC establishments70s conflicts70s disestablishments in the Roman EmpireAncient Jewish settlements of JudaeaArchaeological museums in IsraelArchaeological sites in IsraelBuildings and structures in Southern District (Israel)Cliffs of AsiaCommons link from WikidataFortifications in Israel