Famous Roman siege long thought to have lasted years seems to have ended in ‘mere weeks’, according to new study
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Reported by the Independent:
The Roman siege of Masada at the end of the First Jewish-Roman War lasted “mere weeks” overturning previous beliefs of a drawn-out battle ove several years, according to a new study.
Researchers previously thought the Roman army’s siege of Masada in 73CE lasted close to three years.
However, contrary to the widespread myth at the heart of modern Zionism, a new study, published in the Journal of Roman Archaeology, found that the siege lasted no more than a few weeks.
Archaeologists used a range of modern technologies, including drones, remote sensing, and 3D digital modelling, to generate the first objective and quantified analysis of the Roman siege system at Masada, the mountain fortress which towers over the southern end of the Dead Sea.
They collected high-resolution data from Masada and its surroundings, with a special emphasis on the water systems, the trails leading to and from the palatial fortress, and the Roman siege system.
Using this information, scientists built 3D digital models providing a more accurate image of the terrains, the siege system, and estimated how long it may have taken to build them.
“For many years, the prevailing theory that became a modern myth asserted that the Roman siege of Masada was a grueling three-year affair,” study co-author Guy Stiebel said.
“In this first-of-its-kind study we examined the issue with modern technologies enabling precise objective measurements,” Dr Stiebel said.
Read more here.
Makes more sense. Why would a Roman legion dedicate three years to a community which had enclosed itself in a space they had encircled? Those Romans were incredible earth workers, very efficient and quick enough en masse. To me, always, the gist of the Jewish story was the resolve the community showed in mass suicide rather than submission.