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Masada: From Jewish Revolt to Modern Myth Hardcover – Illustrated, May 14, 2019
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A new account of the famous site and story of the last stand of a group of Jewish rebels who held out against the Roman Empire
Two thousand years ago, 967 Jewish men, women, and children―the last holdouts of the revolt against Rome following the fall of Jerusalem and the destruction of the Second Temple―reportedly took their own lives rather than surrender to the Roman army. This dramatic event, which took place on top of Masada, a barren and windswept mountain overlooking the Dead Sea, spawned a powerful story of Jewish resistance that came to symbolize the embattled modern State of Israel. The first extensive archaeological excavations of Masada began in the 1960s, and today the site draws visitors from around the world. And yet, because the mass suicide was recorded by only one ancient author―the Jewish historian Josephus―some scholars question if the event ever took place.
Jodi Magness, an archaeologist who has excavated at Masada, explains what happened there, how we know it, and how recent developments might change understandings of the story. Incorporating the latest findings, she integrates literary and historical sources to show what life was like for Jews under Roman rule during an era that witnessed the reign of Herod and Jesus’s ministry and death.
Featuring numerous illustrations, this is an engaging exploration of an ancient story that continues to grip the imagination today.
- Print length312 pages
- LanguageEnglish
- PublisherPrinceton University Press
- Publication dateMay 14, 2019
- Dimensions6.4 x 1.2 x 9.4 inches
- ISBN-100691167109
- ISBN-13978-0691167107
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Editorial Reviews
Review
"Persuasive."---James Romm, New York Review of Books
"Magness vividly describes the archaeological evidence for life on the mountaintop [of Masada]."---Josephine Quinn, London Review of Books
"[Jodi Magness is] fascinating on the conflation of archaeology and nationalism in modern Israel’s use of the ‘Masada myth’."---Justin Marozzi, The Spectator
"Filled with fascinating details; [Masada] is informative and judicious."---Glenn C. Altschuler, Jerusalem Post
"Fascinating. . . . The overall high quality of [Masada] and its author’s personal acquaintance with both the archaeological and literary source material cannot be questioned."---Daniel Sugarman, Jewish Chronicle
"All those interested in [Masada], or planning a visit, will find their understanding enriched by [Magness’s] clear and readable guide."---Matti Friedman, Mosaic
"The appealing narrative launches itself in time-honoured fashion in medias res, with an account of the Roman siege that took place three years after the fall of Jerusalem in AD 70."---Claire Gruzelier, Classics for All Reviews
"Archaeologist Jodi Magness succeeds in producing a rewarding and stimulating book that is accessible and up to date."---Michaël Girardin, Bryn Mawr Classical Review
"Jodi Magness’s new book, Masada: From Jewish Revolt to Modern Myth, is an important contribution to our understanding of Masada and its historical context. Not only is it well-written, including personal experiences, her own research, and her association with the famous Israeli archeologists who supervised excavations at Masada; it also is a thorough presentation of what was discovered there, the historical period, and a comprehensive review of the literature and various theories about what happened there, and why. It is, therefore, an essential read."---Moshe Dann, The Jerusalem Report
"Magness’s conversational style will inform and entertain both the general and specialist reader."---Lindsay Powell, Ancient History
"Jodi Magness takes her readers on a whistle-stop tour of the excavations [at Masada]."---Michael Squire, Greece and Rome
"[In Masada] Magness provides the reader with a panoptic overview of the context in which Masada was built, occupied and defended and draws together the latest archaeological research to elucidate the biography of the site itself . . . Magness . . . [gives] us a clear account integrating the latest scholarship with her intimate personal knowledge of the site. Her balanced and judicious tone throughout makes this book indispensable to anyone interested in understanding Masada’s contested past (and present)."---Gwyn Davies, Strata: Bulletin of the Anglo-Israel Archaeological Society
"[Masada] will surely stimulate further discussion, at both the academic and popular level, on the archaeological evidence behind the myth as well as the general contribution of archaeology to our understanding of and relationship to cultural history."---Eyal Regev, Review of Biblical Literature
"[Magness'] balanced and judicious tone throughout makes this book indispensable to anyone interested in understanding Masada’s contested past (and present)."---Gwyn Davies, Strata
"[Magness is] a rare field archaeologist skilled in transforming technical findings into riveting and thoroughly readable historiography . . revealing why Masada has mattered to so many people throughout history and continues to do so today."---Karen B. Stern, American Journal of Archaeology
"Magness has managed the difficult feat of writing for both the scholar and the interested non-specialist reader."---Gila Wertheimer, Jewish Book Council
"[Masada is a] splendid book, which not only offers a cogent analysis of the controversy itself, but also furnishes a superb overview of both the Hasmonean and Herodian eras, a particularly tangled stretch of Jewish history . . .[Magness] expresses no firm opinion about whether Josephus is a trustworthy source of information about the siege of Masada – but instead is out to make accessible to the interested layperson not only the broader story of the fortress, but also the turbulent history of the two centuries that preceded the siege . . . Magness’ book is certain to be the ‘go to’ work about Masada for a long time to come."---David Rodman, Israel Affairs
"This is a special book. . . . Masada is discussed from various angles in an enjoyable way."---Jan Willem van Henten, Journal for the Study of Judaism
"Magness in her distinctive way has given us a wonderful presentation to supplement the huge literature on the archaeology of Masada. Her book is a perfect read for undergraduates, continuing education students, and the general reader."---Eric M. Meyers, Dead Sea Discoveries
"The best single volume for understanding [Masada’s] remains in the context of both the first Jewish Revolt and the modern myth."---Michael Press, Palestine Exploration Quarterly
Review
“Internationally renowned archaeologist Jodi Magness plunges the reader directly into the story of the fall of Masada, unpacking the dramatic tale as told by Josephus. She also recounts the fascinating adventures and misadventures of the region’s explorers, from the nineteenth century through the 1960s, and compellingly describes the excavations there, including her own, providing a welcome tour of the site.”―Eric H. Cline, author of 1177 B.C.: The Year Civilization Collapsed
"Masada is the foremost archaeological site in Israel, the most spectacular and one of the most visited. No one knows the site or its wider contexts better than Jodi Magness. There are few archaeologists who could have pulled off the feat that she has accomplished in this book.It is a marvel of clarity and accessibility. Masada will be the indispensable companion to this site for the next fifty years."―Tessa Rajak, author of Josephus
About the Author
Product details
- Publisher : Princeton University Press; Illustrated edition (May 14, 2019)
- Language : English
- Hardcover : 312 pages
- ISBN-10 : 0691167109
- ISBN-13 : 978-0691167107
- Item Weight : 1.55 pounds
- Dimensions : 6.4 x 1.2 x 9.4 inches
- Best Sellers Rank: #254,993 in Books (See Top 100 in Books)
- #253 in History of Judaism
- #333 in Archaeology (Books)
- #414 in Israel & Palestine History (Books)
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Perhaps most of us would like Magness' views on the 'mass suicide' discussed by Josephus. The author discusses and weighs the relevant data, and refuses to come to a firm conclusion.
Magness also revals her thoughts on Masada in the'Post-Zionist" Israel.
This work is highly recommended.
The allure of Masada has always been tied to the story the historian Flavius Josephus told about its last Jewish residents. The First Jewish Revolt against Rome began at Caesarea Marittima in A.D. 66 and quickly spread throughout what is today Israel, the West Bank, and the Golan Heights. It was a bloody affair, not only between Jews and Romans but among factions of the Jews themselves.
Members of one of those factions, the Sicarii, seized Masada early in the war. (They were known as Sicarii—from the Latin sicarius, meaning “dagger-man”—because they assassinated appointments in public places using easily concealed daggers.) After Jerusalem fell in A.D. 70, members of the Sicarii led by Eleazar Ben-Yair holed up at Masada. The Romans destroyed similar holdouts at the desert fortresses of Herodium and Machareus, then they turned their attention to Masada, laying siege to it in winter-spring of either 72–73 or 73–74. (The precise date is uncertain.) The outlines of the siege wall, Roman camps, and siege ramp are still visible today.
According to Josephus, the night after Romans breached the casemate wall on Masada’s eastern side, Eleazar Ben-Yair stood before the Sicarii and urged them to kill themselves rather than submit to Roman slavery. Each man would kill his family. Lots would be drawn, determining a handful of men who would kill heads of households. Finally, the last lot would determine who killed those killers before killing himself. “Let our wives thus die dishonored,” Eleazar exhorted, “our children unacquainted with slavery; and when they are gone, let us render a generous service to each other, preserving our liberty.”
Fast forward nineteen centuries to Israel’s War of Independence (1947–1949), and it is easy to see why the Israeli Defense Forces, with the Holocaust behind them and hostile Arab armies around them, began to use “Masada Shall Never Fall Again” as a motto. Indeed, for many decades, new soldiers climbed to the summit via the Snake Path and took an oath to defend Israel. This patriotism was bolstered by Yigael Yadin’s excavation of Masada, which seemed to verify Josephus’ picture.
Today, however, archaeologists and historians take a more critical view of Josephus, the only ancient author to give us information about the siege of the fortress. Jodi Magness’ Masada: From Jewish Revolt to Modern Myth brings readers up to date with this more critical view, explaining how archaeology provides partial confirmation of Josephus’ account, as well as potential rebuttal at key points. Magness is the Kenan Distinguished Professor for Teaching Excellence in Early Judaism in the Department of Religious Studies at the University of North Carolina-Chapel Hill. She codirected excavations of the Roman siege works at Masada in 1995.
Masada is an informative read. I learned new things about the site, and when I return in spring 2020, I plan on taking a closer look at them. Moreover, the book’s historical chapters (5–8), which narrate the history of Jewish conflicts from the Maccabean Revolt to Masada, were a tour de force, making sense of the various people, movements, and events that shaped this period. This is especially true of Herod the Great, that master builder of the ancient near east, including the Temple Mount in Jerusalem and Masada itself. This period is crucial for understanding Masada, of course, but for Christians, it is also crucial for understanding the history and culture of the New Testament period.
As an editor, I was frustrated by the organization of the book. It starts with the siege of Masada (chapter 1), then turns to early archaeological explorations (chapter 2), then moves to the geographical and historical contexts—starting with the Chalcolithic Period! (chapter 3), then describes Herod’s building projects (chapter 4), then gets into the chronological telling of chapters 5–8, then ends with a chapter on Yigael Yadin’s excavations and their aftermath. Because of this organization of chapters, some of the material gets repeated. To be honest, I was losing interest in the book until I got to chapter 5. In my opinion, readers would’ve been better served by a straightforward chronological organization, beginning with the Maccabean Revolt and ending with modern archaeological excavations.
Still, Masada is a worthwhile read. If you’re going to Israel and plan on visiting Masada, you might want to read it beforehand. I recommend reading it in this order: Prologue, chapters 5, 6, 7, 8, and 9. If you don’t have a guide, use Magness’ Epilogue, which lays out a tour of the summit.
Other reviews by professional reviewers make the point: read this book if you have any interest in the history of the area prior to, during or after Jesus’ time there.