The Siege of Masada

A Historical Drama of the Famous Battle Between the Jews and Romans

By: Kosta Kafarakis

Narrated by: Scott Clem

Length: 1 hr and 2 mins

Publisher's Summary

The Siege of Masada was the final battle in a long series of fights that constituted the First Jewish-Roman War. The Roman Empire had established control over the region in the 1st century BCE, when the Roman proconsul Pompey the Great took control of Jerusalem and ceremonially defiled their temple. This mix of political control and religious desecration was a contentious issue for the Judeans throughout the Roman period, and militant activists opposed to Roman rule, often espousing strongly held religious beliefs, frequently developed large followings to challenge the Roman authorities. This led to multiple violent clashes between the Judeans and the Romans, and the First Jewish-Roman War (66-73 CE) was one such clash. The Roman troops marched through and made their military might felt, first in the northern region of Galilee, then down the coast where they finally laid siege to the capital city of Jerusalem. This left three Roman fortress outposts, including Masada, that had been built by Herod the Great but had been taken over by various Judean factions. Masada was the last of these fortresses that the Romans attacked and proved the most difficult for them to seize, but seize it they did.

However, what made this battle qualitatively different from most was not just the difficulty Rome had in retaking control of it with incredibly disproportionate military equipment and numbers, but also the actions of the Judean defenders. In the final hours of the battle, just as the Romans were about to breach the walls of the city, the defenders gathered together and committed mass suicide, rather than being killed or taken captive by the Romans.

©2012 Charles River Editors (P)2015 Charles River Editors

Rather well done in its way

historical-places-events, historical-figures, historical-research, history-and-culture

The publisher's blurb gives a scholarly overview of the basic reasons that this conflict occurred. If you are a non Jewish American, think of Masada the way you think of the Alamo. This lesson in a segment of Jewish history is presented in the form of a story told by a woman survivor to her grandson. It seems to be an adaptation of that recounted by the historian known as Josephus. This makes it more real and easier to understand for some readers who are unfamiliar with it. I do agree that it is certainly less dry than many theses.
The narrator performed very well.