By HEATHER HANSEN
To many the story of the Masada is mystery, to others it is only a myth.
Masada is an ancient hilltop fortress in the Judean desert on the western shores of the Dead Sea. Not only is Masada a geographic location, but it was the home for many people.
Through the excavation work of Yigael Yadin in 1963, the surviving remnants were recovered from the ruins of Masada, providing evidence of the existence of three peoples: Herod the Great, the Romans and the Jewish Sicarii.
Historian Josephus Flavius records that the story of the Masada began with King Herod when he commenced building seven palaces on Mt. Masada around 40 B.C. His son then ruled Masada from 4 B.C. to A.D. 6 until a small Roman army gained control. Following the destruction of Jerusalem, the Jewish Sicarii, a politically zealous, religious sect aiming to dispose of Roman control, took refuge at Masada, ousted the Roman garrison stationed there and gained control of the hilltop fortress in A.D. 66.
“The Zealots were given the name ‘Sicarii’ by Josephus because they always carried a sica, a dagger worn under the clothing,” said Heather Seferovich, coordinator of BYU Public Programs for the Museum of Peoples and Cultures.
The Romans, however, did not stay away for long. Although the Sicarii successfully held Roman soldiers off for a short time, they only occupied Masada for a few months before their defeat seemed eminent.
From Josephus’ writings, it is known that a man named Eleazar Ben Ya’ir gave a poignant speech to his fellow Sicarii, convincing them that it would be better to kill themselves than to be enslaved by the Romans. Thus, 960 men, women and children committed suicide. The only known survivors were two women and five children who hid in a water cistern to escape a fatal end.
“Although it is often said that the Sicarii’s ‘last stand’ was a mass suicide, it was really death under martial law,” Seferovich said.
The men had to kill their families until there were only 12 men left. As the story goes, the last 12 men drew lots. Each man was to kill another. The one who drew the final lot was the last one to die, the one to fall on his sword, Seferovich said.
To many, the Sicarii were martyrs; to others they were murderers.
The occupants of the Masada “were heroes who chose death over a life of physical and moral serfdom,” said Yigael Yadin, chief excavator of the Masada.
“The story of the Masada has three main dimensions: archaeological — the many structures and the thousands of finds reflecting the material culture of the site’s inhabitants; military — the Roman army camps, the rampart, the siege wall, the course of the war, and the siege; and the historical/political — the story behind the revolt against Rome and the lesson to be learned from the beginning of the revolt until the tragic end,” said Amnon Ben-Tor, as stated on a label in the Masada exhibit.
Because the only record of the Sicarii’s last stand was written by Josephus, its accuracy is not certain.
“Josephus was born to an aristocratic family of priestly lineage in A.D. 37,” said Eric Huntsman, an instructor in the Department of Humanities, Classics and Comparative Literature.
Because Josephus was a religious Jew and cultural Greek who eventually became a Roman citizen, he had a multicultural background.
Although he was well versed in Hebrew, his native language was Aramaic. His religious interests led him to affiliate with the three major schools of Judaism — Sadducees, Essenes and Pharisees. He was also familiar with the Roman civilization because of his military ties. Being educated in Greek literature, Josephus felt comfortable with the Hellenistic culture. Thus, he closely followed Greek historiographic tradition: rhetoric, Huntsman said.
“Our current view of history, modern concept, (did not occur) until the 19th century, (when) we believe the ‘facts’ of past events were recovered, if all surviving pieces of evidence could be gathered and weighed.
“The writing of ancient history is in a literary genre of its own — rhetoric was as important as accuracy,” Huntsman said.
The Museum of Peoples and Cultures and BYU Studies are sponsoring the Masada exhibition at the BYU Museum of Art until Sept. 18. For more information or to order tickets call the Marriott Center ticket office at 378-BYU1.
