WHEN WAS MASADA CONQUERED?

[Malko Linge]

Flavius Josephus delivered us the history of the Judaic War. He also expressively described the conquest of Masada. However there is kind of vagueness concerning the date of conquest. I've read two articles in the journal "Zeitschrift fuer Papyrologie und Epigraphik" (ZPE, V. 73, 78 ): Dating the Siege of Masada and The Date of the Fall of Masada. In the 1st article the spring of the year 74 CE is considered to be the date of conquest, in the 2nd one the spring of the year 73 or 74 CE is assumed. Then the Romans built the ramp in order to move the siege tower to the fortress wall. The ramp was build on the ridge out of sand and wooden piles. Are there no dendrochronological investigation made on the wooden piles which can be seen even nowadays? Could it not help to find the exact date of the Fall of Masada?!

[mcbishop]

Flavius Josephus delivered us the history of the Judaic War. He also expressively described the conquest of Masada. However there is kind of vagueness concerning the date of conquest. I've read two articles in the journal "Zeitschrift fuer Papyrologie und Epigraphik" (ZPE, V. 73, 78 ): Dating the Siege of Masada and The Date of the Fall of Masada. In the 1st article the spring of the year 74 CE is considered to be the date of conquest, in the 2nd one the spring of the year 73 or 74 CE is assumed. Then the Romans built the ramp in order to move the siege tower to the fortress wall. The ramp was build on the ridge out of sand and wooden piles. Are there no dendrochronological investigation made on the wooden piles which can be seen even nowadays? Could it not help to find the exact date of the Fall of Masada?!

Just because timber survives does not necessarily make it useful for dendro dating. I suspect you would need to be very lucky to get a date out of dessicated timber in such circumstances, since you would need a sample that a) was not too distorted, b) had a statistically viable sample of rings, c) bark present in order to establish a felling date and, crucially, d) an appropriate anchored chronology for the region (Guy will probably know if one exists). It has been used in Britain to pin down the foundation of the Roman fort at Carlisle to a particular year but such accuracy is very rare.

Mike Bishop

[Jona Lendering]

As I understand it, the problem was created/solved by coins from Ashkelon, which were minted in the Summer of 73, and were -as far as I can I remember- brought up there by Jews, not Romans soldiers. This rules out the possibility that Masada was captured in 73, so 74 is more likely.

Andrea M. Berlin & J. Andrew Overman, The First Jewish Revolt. Archaeology, History, and Ideology (2002 London) refer to Barag/Hershkovitz, 'Lamps from Masada', in Aviram, Foerster, Netzer (eds.): Masada IV (1994) as the best discussion of the problem; I have not read it.

And before I forget, welcome to RAT. Are you really in Termez, Uzbekistan?!

[D B Campbell]

I've read two articles in the journal "Zeitschrift fuer Papyrologie und Epigraphik" (ZPE, V. 73, 78 ): Dating the Siege of Masada and The Date of the Fall of Masada. In the 1st article the spring of the year 74 CE is considered to be the date of conquest, in the 2nd one the spring of the year 73 or 74 CE is assumed.

Guilty! In ZPE 73 (1988), I came down in favour of spring AD 74. I cannot now recall why Hannah Cotton disputed that in ZPE 78 (1989). AD 74 still seems most likely to me.

[Malko Linge]

After spending two months in Termez for my service. I arrived on 10 th of January in Germany. I walked on Alexanders footsteps. I have the books MASADA I and II. In MASADA I there are two Latin letters, one a Roman pay record dated to ca 74 CE. And an letter to Iulius Lupus if he is the same person like the prefect of Egypt.... The prefect of Egypt Iulius Lupus was last attested in February / March of 73 CE in Egypt.

Malko Linge
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(Christian)