The researchers concluded that the construction of the siege system took about two weeks.
“Once the assault ramp was completed, the Romans launched a brutal attack, ultimately capturing the fortress within a few weeks at the most. This leads us to the conclusion that the entire siege of Masada lasted no more than several weeks,” added Ashkenazi.
The study was conducted by the Neustadter Masada Expedition from TAU’s Sonia & Marco Nadler Institute of Archaeology, and headed by Guy Stiebel.
“The Romans came, saw, and conquered, quickly and brutally quelling the uprising in this remote location,” added Stiebel.
PhD candidates Boaz Gross from the Israeli Institute of Archaeology, and Omer Ze’evi-Berger from University of Bonn also took part in the research.
The findings were recently published in the Journal of Roman Archaeology.
The siege of Masada marked the final events of the First Jewish-Roman War.
According to the writings of Roman–Jewish historian Flavius Josephus, or Yosef ben Mattityahu, nearly 1,000 Jewish warriors and family members committed mass suicide to avoid capture by the Roman army following what was believed to have been the three-year siege.
The myth of the siege has become an integral part of Israeli culture, with Masada becoming a national park and one of the most visited tourist attractions in the country.
Stiebel said the study’s findings should not detract from “the importance of this historical event.”
“The narrative of Masada, the Great Jewish Revolt, the siege, and the tragic end as related by Flavius Josephus, have all become part of Israeli DNA and the Zionist ethos, and are well known around the world,” he said.
“Still, many baffling questions remain to be investigated. For example: Why did the Romans put so much effort into seizing this remote and seemingly unimportant fortress? What really happened at Masada?”
Produced in association with ISRAEL21c
