The excavation from 1963 to 1965 of the Judean desert rock-fortress of Masada has taken its place as one of the most exciting and significant archaeological events of recent times.
?What prompted thousands of volunteers from so many different countries to endure the hardships and primitive conditions of the expedition
This stronghold overlooking the Dead Sea was the site on which Herod the Great erected some of his most daring buildings and also the scene of one of the most dramatic episodes in human history, when nine hundred and sixty Zealot defenders preferred to kill themselves rather than surrender to the Romans three years after the destruction of the Temple of Jerusalem by Titus in 70 A.D.
The only source of its history is the contemporary account by Josephus, who was one of the commanders in that very great revolt against Rome. Professor Yigael Yadin, the distinguished military leader and archaeologist, was invited to head the expedition, which found much evidence to confirm Josephus’ descriptions, and in this dramatic account he describes the history of Masada in the first century A.D., the fascinating early attempts at its rediscovery by 19th and 20th-century explorers, and the full story of the biggest archaeological enterprise ever attempted in the Holy Land
