Siege of Masada

The siege of Masada was one of the final events in the First Jewish–Roman War, occurring from 72 to 73 CE on and around a hilltop in present-day Israel.

Siege of Masada
Part of the First Jewish–Roman War

Masada National Park
DateLate 72 – early 73 (traditional date)
Late 73 – early 74 CE (proposed date)
Location
Masada, Israel (then part of Judaea Province)
31°18′56″N 35°21′13″E
Result Roman victory
Belligerents
Jewish Sicarii Roman Empire
Commanders and leaders
Eleazar ben Ya'ir  Lucius Flavius Silva
Strength
967, including non-combatants Legio X Fretensis 4,800
Auxiliaries and slaves 4,000–10,000
Casualties and losses
960 dead, 7 captured (2 women, 5 children), according to Josephus Unknown

The siege is known to history via a single source, Flavius Josephus, a Jewish rebel leader captured by the Romans, in whose service he became a historian. According to Josephus the long siege by the troops of the Roman Empire led to the mass suicide of the Sicarii rebels and resident Jewish families of the Masada fortress.

This article is issued from Wikipedia. The text is licensed under Creative Commons - Attribution - Sharealike. Additional terms may apply for the media files.