A recent archaeological study on the Roman siege system at Masada, published in the Journal of Roman Archaeology, reveals new and important findings about this historic conflict of the 1st century CE. An international team of researchers, led by Hai Ashkenazi from the Israel Antiquities Authority and Goethe University Frankfurt, has used cutting-edge technology to deeply analyze the war landscape surrounding the ancient Jewish fortress.The underlying article is open access. The LBV essay is a good summary of it.[...]
The Roman siege system of Masada: a 3D computerized analysis of a conflict landscape [Link now fixed!]For more on the archaeology of Masada, see here and links.Published online by Cambridge University Press: 29 August 2024
Hai Ashkenazi, Omer Ze'evi-Berger, Boaz Gross and Guy D. Stiebel
Abstract
The 1st-c. CE Roman siege system of Masada exhibits a high degree of preservation due to its remote location and the arid climate. However, unlike the thoroughly excavated Masada fortress, the siege system has not received due attention. This article is part of a research project aimed at advancing our understanding of the conflict landscape around Masada using contemporary archaeological methods. Following a comprehensive surface survey and photogrammetric 3D modelling, we show that the circumvallation wall stood to a height of 2–2.5 m and served several functions – as an obstacle, a means of psychological warfare, and a platform from which to mount counterattacks. Based on our measurements and workload estimations, we argue that the construction of the siege wall and the camps around Masada occurred fairly quickly.
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