73 – 74 AD · Judean Desert Theater
73 – 74 AD
The last rebel stronghold was Masada, Herod's desert fortress atop an isolated plateau above the Dead Sea, held by the Sicarii under Eleazar ben Yair. The Tenth Legion built a circumvallation wall and a massive earthen siege ramp against the western approach. When the Romans finally breached the wall, they found — according to Josephus — that the 960 defenders had chosen mass suicide over capture or slavery, leaving the fortress silent.
Commanders