The Roman legion surrounded Masada and built a circumvallation wall, before commencing construction of a siege ramp against the western face of the plateau, moving thousands of tons of stones and beaten earth to do so. Josephus does not record any attempts by the Sicarii to counterattack the besiegers during this process, a significant ...

Oct 22, 2024 · The Romans waged both literal and psychological warfare on the Jewish rebels in the siege of Masada. Evidence of the large-scale siege works, including the great assault ramp on the western slope of the cliff of Masada, reflects this strategy. Photo: Werner Braun.

Hollywood could not have scripted it better: A band of 967 Jewish rebels retreats to a desert mountaintop fortress following the destruction of Jerusalem by the Romans in 70 A.D. Two years later the Roman army sets out to quell this last vestige of the Great Jewish Revolt.

Oct 28, 2024 · A huge siege tower and giant battering ram were constructed and moved up the ramp while the Romans volleyed blazing torches against the walls of Masada. They breached the walls of the fortress on April 16, AD 73, but they didn’t get what they came for.

The Roman Ramp Quick Facts: Starting point: Masada West entrance. Length: 0.7 Kilometers; Total Climb: 50 meters. To speed up the overtaking of Masada (73 AD), the Romans built a ramp that led from the western cliff to the Masada wall. The rampart was constructed with the aid of Jewish forced laborers.

On April 17th of 73, with the ramp in place, a giant battering ram was pushed to the top of the 100ft high ramp. In no time at all, Silva’s men gained access to the fortress and readied themselves for resistance from the 900+ Jewish inhabitants of Masada.

The Siege of Masada was a national identity-shaping event in Jewish history that occurred from 72 to 73 AD. It took place at the ancient fortress of Masada, near the Dead Sea, in what is now Israel, ancient Judea. The siege was the final and most dramatic episode in the First Jewish–Roman War.

Apr 20, 2019 · The siege lasted between four and seven months as the Romans needed to build a ramp to breach the isolated fortification. It marked the end of the Great Revolt, the first of three rebellions by the Jewish people against the Romans.

May 27, 2024 · The centerpiece of their siege works was a massive assault ramp made of earth and wooden revetments, designed to allow the Romans to bring their battering rams and siege engines directly up to Masada‘s walls.[^4]

The Romans built a 2 mi. [3.2 km.] long siege wall around the base of Masada and built 8 camps at key points. On the west side of Masada, they built a ramp that led up to near the summit of Masada. At the top of this ramp, they built a stone platform, and on top of this, they put a …