What is the story of masada?

what is the story of masada Masada is an ancient fortress situated on a high plateau in the Judaean Desert in Israel, overlooking the Dead Sea. The plateau is thought to have been first fortified by Alexander Jannaeus, the second king of the Judean Hasmonean Dynasty, between 103 and 76 BCE. However, Masada is best known for the events that took place there in 73 or 74 AD during the First Jewish-Roman War (66–73 AD). Here is a brief summary:

1. Herod's Refuge: King Herod, who ruled Judea on behalf of the Roman Empire from 37 BC to 4 BC, recognized the strategic value of Masada and built a luxurious fortress there. It served as a refuge for him in case of a revolt.

2. Sicarii Takeover: In 66 AD, a Jewish political group known as the Sicarii captured the fortress. Led by Menahem, the grandson of Judah the Galilean, the Sicarii were one of the earliest forms of an organized opposition against Roman rule. They fled Jerusalem and took Masada after Menahem was killed in infighting.

3. Siege by Romans: The Sicarii held out for several years following the fall of Jerusalem in 70 AD. In 73 or 74 AD, the Roman governor Lucius Flavius Silva marched against Masada with the Roman legion X Fretensis and laid siege to the fortress.

4. Mass Suicide: According to Josephus, a first-century Romano-Jewish historian, when Roman troops entered the fortress, they discovered that its 960 inhabitants had set all the buildings but the food storerooms ablaze and committed mass suicide rather than face certain capture, slavery, or execution by their enemies. Only two women and five children survived.

The historical accuracy of Josephus's account is disputed by some modern historians, as no archaeological evidence of the mass suicide has been found, but the story has endured and Masada has become a symbol of Jewish resistance. The fortress was named a UNESCO World Heritage site in 2001.