Masaadeh, the holy land of Jews, is a United Nations World Heritage Site. A rocky mountain peak, located at the junction of Judea desert and the bottom of the Dead Sea. Masaad is Herod's winter palace. The castle stands on the top of the mountain, imposing. Standing on the top of the mountain, you can see the Dead Sea clearly. It is so famous because it was a witness against Roman rule and the last stronghold of the national uprising at that time.
The story comes from
In 63 AD, the Jewish uprising was brutally suppressed by the Roman Empire, and Masaad became the last fortress.
Josephus described Masaad like this in the Jewish War:
"The weapons hidden by the king here are enough for 10 thousand people, in addition to a lot of iron, copper and a certain amount of lead." More importantly, Herod also stored a large number of survival materials for emergencies. The quantity, variety and freshness of these materials are amazing. It is not a problem to eat a lot of vegetables in a few years, and there are a lot of wine, oil, all kinds of soybeans and a pile of dates. "
Herod's greatest wealth lies in exquisite ditches and spectacular reservoirs. In the arid area with annual precipitation less than 25mm, Herod dug 12 reservoirs on the north slope, with a total storage capacity of nearly 40,000 cubic meters.
The Roman siege lasted for three years, so they chose the stupidest method: build a huge mound at the same height as the mountain, and then pile up a huge slope under the wall of the castle. After the wall was broken, the besieged Jews built a temporary wall of wood and mud, but when the Romans used fire on this wall, the Jewish soldiers realized that there was no hope.
Josephus described that 960 insurgents committed suicide in Masaad during the Jewish War.
On May 2, 73 AD, 960 Jewish insurgents gathered here. This team, mainly composed of women and children, is the last rebel in Judea.
Eleazar, the leader, looked from a height and made a famous unfinished speech.
-"We were the first to rise up against Rome and the last to stop fighting. Thank god for giving us this opportunity. When we die peacefully, we are free people. No matter how much the enemy wants us to be alive prisoners, they can't stop us. Unfortunately, we can't beat them, but we are free to choose to die with the people we love. Let our wives die without being ravaged and our children die without being enslaved! ..... We would rather die for freedom than live for slaves! "
Judaism forbids suicide. They selected 10 warriors from men by lot as suicide executors. Others lie on the ground with their wives and children, hugging each other and voluntarily accepting the swords of close comrades. When 10 people were fearless and killed all their compatriots, they also chose to end their lives in the same way.
Those who draw lots must execute the remaining nine people first, and then commit suicide ... When there is only one person left in the city, the samurai checked all the bodies lying on the ground and set fire to every corner of the palace after confirming no one lives. Finally, with all his strength, he stabbed the sword into his body and fell to his loved ones.
During the suicide ceremony, two women and five children survived by hiding in the underground sewer. They may be the source of information for Josephus to write this history.
In the early morning of the next day, the tenth army of Rome boarded the palace that they had been looking forward to for three years and were at a loss.
They shouted and rushed into the fortress, and the victory of the Romans was extremely easy-the Romans found that there were no rebels in front of them, only piles of Jewish bodies covered the palace calmly. After three years of persistence, these last insurgents chose collective suicide.
Masaadeh fell, the heroes disappeared and the Jews dispersed. But the Jewish nation did not die, because the spirit of freedom and dignity did not fall.
To this day, Jews aged 18, both men and women, are soldiers. They will come to Masaad and swear that Masaad will never fall ("Masaad will never fall again! ), which means swearing to defend your home forever. The famous Israeli legend Mossad is actually another transliteration of Masaadeh.
The story and archaeological remains of Ma Tiejin Pavilion endow Masaad with a unique atmosphere and preserve its glorious history.