Masada : From Jewish Revolt to Modern Myth / Jodi Magness.

Format:

Book

Author/Creator:

Magness, Jodi, Author.

Language:

English

Subjects (All):

Jews--Israel--Masada Site--History.

Jews.

Physical Description:

1 online resource (x, 265 pages, 32 unnumbered pages of plates) : illustrations (some colour), maps

Place of Publication:

Princeton, NJ : Princeton University Press, [2019]

Language Note:

In English.

Summary:

A new account of the famous site and story of the last stand of a group of Jewish rebels who held out against the Roman EmpireTwo thousand years ago, 967 Jewish men, women, and children-the last holdouts of the revolt against Rome following the fall of Jerusalem and the destruction of the Second Temple-reportedly took their own lives rather than surrender to the Roman army. This dramatic event, which took place on top of Masada, a barren and windswept mountain overlooking the Dead Sea, spawned a powerful story of Jewish resistance that came to symbolize the embattled modern State of Israel. The first extensive archaeological excavations of Masada began in the 1960s, and today the site draws visitors from around the world. And yet, because the mass suicide was recorded by only one ancient author-the Jewish historian Josephus-some scholars question if the event ever took place.Jodi Magness, an archaeologist who has excavated at Masada, explains what happened there, how we know it, and how recent developments might change understandings of the story. Incorporating the latest findings, she integrates literary and historical sources to show what life was like for Jews under Roman rule during an era that witnessed the reign of Herod and Jesus's ministry and death.Featuring numerous illustrations, this is an engaging exploration of an ancient story that continues to grip the imagination today.

Contents:

Frontmatter

Contents

Acknowledgments

Prologue. The Fall of Masada

Chapter 1. The Siege of Masada

Chapter 2. The Search for Masada

Chapter 3. Masada in Context

Chapter 4. Masada and Herod's Other Building Projects

Chapter 5. Judea before Herod

Chapter 6. From Herod to the First Jewish Revolt against Rome

Chapter 7. The First Jewish Revolt against Rome

Chapter 8. The Rebel Occupation of Masada

Chapter 9. "Masada Shall Not Fall Again": Yigael Yadin, the Mass Suicide, and the Masada Myth

Epilogue. A Tour of Masada

Notes

Bibliography

Index

Image credits

Notes:

Includes bibliographical references and index.

Description based on online resource; title from PDF title page (publisher's Web site, viewed 06. Apr 2020)

ISBN:

9780691186016

0691186014

OCLC:

1102808793