Masada: From Jewish Revolt to Modern Myth Audiobook (Free)

A fresh account from the famous site and story from the last stand of several 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 a fall of Jerusalem as well as the destruction of the next Temple-reportedly took their own lives instead of surrender towards the Roman military. This dramatic event, which occurred together with Masada, a barren and windswept hill overlooking the Dead Ocean, spawned about Masada: From Jewish Revolt to Modern Myth a robust tale of Jewish level of resistance that came to symbolize the embattled modern Condition of Israel. The initial comprehensive archaeological excavations of Masada started in the 1960s, and today the site draws visitors from around the world. And yet, as the mass suicide was recorded by only 1 ancient author-the Jewish historian Josephus-some scholars query if the event ever occurred.

Jodi Magness, an archaeologist that has excavated at Masada, explains what happened there, how exactly we know it, and exactly how latest developments might change understandings of the story. Incorporating the latest findings, she integrates literary and historic sources to show what lifestyle was like for Jews under Roman rule during an era that observed the reign of Herod and Jesus’s ministry and death.

Featuring numerous illustrations, that is an engaging exploration of an ancient story that continues to grasp the imagination today.