Siege of Masada

Siege of Masada
Part of the First Jewish–Roman War
Masada National Park
Date Late 72 – early 73 (traditional date) Late 73 – early 74 CE (proposed date)[1][2] Location Masada, Israel (then part of Judaea Province) 31°18′56″N 35°21′13″E / 31.31556°N 35.35361°E / 31.31556; 35.35361 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 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.

The siege is known to history via a single source, Flavius Josephus,^[3] 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.

In modern times, the story of the siege was revived as the Masada myth, a selectively constructed narrative based on Josephus's account. The mythical narrative became a national symbol in the early years of Israel's nationhood.^[4]