Masada

One of the most interesting stories about the fall of an ancient city, must be the story of Masada.

Masada was built by king Herod as a safe retreat for the royal family. The High steep impassible cliffs made it ideal for the greatest of protection however it also made it very difficult to bring supplies to the city.

Herod eventual passed on the city was taken over by other empires and countries and armies of the day. The last ones to survive had to deal with the encroaching roman army. The indestructible and enormous and strong and incessant Roman army led by Governor Flavius at the time, 72ad, could not take over the city. They decided to blockade the city and starve them out. What they did not realize was that the city was so well designed by Herod that the water cisterns and food storage rooms would end up lasting months.

It wasn't until 7 months later the the army decided that this would not work and they must take the city. They began building a HUGE ramp on the western side of the side slowly dumping tons and tons of rock and debris as they got closer to the city walls on top of the mountain. Eventually with much labor and hardship they breached the first walls of the city, called it a day and told themselves that tomorrow morning the city would be theirs.

Little did the Romans know what was being conjured up inside the walls of Masada. The Men of the city and leader Eleazar went into the synagogue and had a final meeting:

"Let our wives die unabused, our children without knowledge of slavery; after that let us do each other an ungrudging kindness, preserving our freedom as a glorious unwinding sheet. but first let our possessions and fortress go up in flames. it will be a bitter blow to the Romans, that i know, to find our persons beyond their reach and nothing left for them to loot. one thing only, let us spare our food storage; it will bear witness when we are dead to the fact that we perished, not through want but because, as we resolved at the beginning, we chose death rather then slavery."

On the morning after the roman soldiers entered the city, it was quiet, they found nothing but food and 960 dead persons. 10 men killed all and then drew lots (pieces of pots with there names written on them) to begin killing the last of them to leave only one man to kill himself, because by Jewish law suicide is forbidden. Upon seeing this Flavius exited and turned away from the city, not in disgust but with honor for the people of Masada and left the city alone.