In Our Area of Study Essay, We Were Asked to Develop and Support Our Arguments/Opinions Using Both the Set Text and at Least Two Other Texts of Our Own Choice. Using Quotes Not Only Supports Essays, It Demonstrates a
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Masada
Were the defenders of the great Jewish revolt against Rome, heroic or a gang of killers who became victims of a last Roman mopping-up operation? Was Elazar Ben-Yair, the commander, guilty of persuading his 960 followers to kill each other if, indeed, the suicide occurred at all?
Myth
Nachman Ben-Yehuda summary of the Masada myth
On the last day of October, a cavalcade of foreign dignitaries and Israeli officials joined hundreds of ordinary citizens making their way to the top of a plateau overlooking the Dead Sea. They gathered to proclaim this secluded fortress, called Masada, one of the world's most important historical sites - a place worthy of global attention and protection.
The United Nations, which put the Israeli mesa on the list of World Heritage Sites, chose the place in part to commemorate the Jewish rebels who held the lofty stronghold, and eventually perished there, in the waning days of a revolt against The Roman Empire in AD 73. In its report on Masada, the UN concludes that "the tragic events during the last days of the Jewish refugees who occupied the fortress and palace of Masada make it a symbol both of Jewish cultural identity and, more universally, Of the continuing human struggle between oppression and liberty.
The ancient Jewish historian and general Flavius Josephus ended his First Jewish Revolt against Rome with the story of a mass suicide at Masada. Josephus claims approximately, some 960 Jewish rebels holding out on top of Masada, the last stronghold to remain in Jewish hands after Jerusalem’s destruction in 70 C.E., chose to commit suicide rather than surrender to the Roman troops besieging the fortress. It is because of Josephus’ story of the suicide, which includes a speech allegedly given by the rebel leader Eleazar ben Yair that Masada became a symbol of Jewish resistance and the modern state of Israel.
However, Yigael Yadin’s 1963-65 excavations atop Masada failed to turn up conclusive evidence of the mass...
Were the defenders of the great Jewish revolt against Rome, heroic or a gang of killers who became victims of a last Roman mopping-up operation? Was Elazar Ben-Yair, the commander, guilty of persuading his 960 followers to kill each other if, indeed, the suicide occurred at all?
Myth
Nachman Ben-Yehuda summary of the Masada myth
On the last day of October, a cavalcade of foreign dignitaries and Israeli officials joined hundreds of ordinary citizens making their way to the top of a plateau overlooking the Dead Sea. They gathered to proclaim this secluded fortress, called Masada, one of the world's most important historical sites - a place worthy of global attention and protection.
The United Nations, which put the Israeli mesa on the list of World Heritage Sites, chose the place in part to commemorate the Jewish rebels who held the lofty stronghold, and eventually perished there, in the waning days of a revolt against The Roman Empire in AD 73. In its report on Masada, the UN concludes that "the tragic events during the last days of the Jewish refugees who occupied the fortress and palace of Masada make it a symbol both of Jewish cultural identity and, more universally, Of the continuing human struggle between oppression and liberty.
The ancient Jewish historian and general Flavius Josephus ended his First Jewish Revolt against Rome with the story of a mass suicide at Masada. Josephus claims approximately, some 960 Jewish rebels holding out on top of Masada, the last stronghold to remain in Jewish hands after Jerusalem’s destruction in 70 C.E., chose to commit suicide rather than surrender to the Roman troops besieging the fortress. It is because of Josephus’ story of the suicide, which includes a speech allegedly given by the rebel leader Eleazar ben Yair that Masada became a symbol of Jewish resistance and the modern state of Israel.
However, Yigael Yadin’s 1963-65 excavations atop Masada failed to turn up conclusive evidence of the mass...