Back to Masada

It helps to have been to Masada near the Dead Sea before reading this new, up-to-date summary of the old and new archaeology of the ancient Jewish fortress. But it really isn’t necessary. Sharing in the discoveries can propel a journey all by itself.

The last few pages devoted to a defense of the honor and work of the deceased Israeli warrior-archaeologist Yigael Yadin is spirited and evidentiary and fully justified by the recent slanders against him and the Masada myth.

It is odd that so few remains of the suicided Zealots were found, but it’s probable that the Roman soldiers, whom author Amnon Ben-Tor shows systematically looted the place after conquering it, simply threw the bodies over the walls.