[The following takes place during the fall of the Jewish fortress of Masada in 73 CE.]
Eventually, the wall gave way, and men of the 10th legion surged in through the breach, only to find that the defenders had built a second wall, of alternate layers of timber and stone, which was impervious to battering ram blows. So, on 2 May, Silva had the wood in the wall set alight. Expecting the fire to weaken the wall sufficiently for it to be breached at dawn next day, the Roman troops returned.
That night, the Jewish men at Masada, knowing that sunrise would bring the final Roman assault, made a solemn pact. They then went around to their wives and children, and killed them. They then drew lots to decide which of them would die next. By the early hours of the morning, just ten partisans including commander Eleazar be Jair remained alive. These men burned all their possessions then drew lots for the final act of their suicide pact. In the end, one man remained. He set fire to Herod’s Palace, then took his own life.
As the sun rose, men of the 10th Fretensis Legion stormed through the burned second wall and entered Masada, to discover the fortress eerily silent. Throughout the complex they found the bodies of dead Jews. Then an old woman emerged, and a younger woman, a relative of Eleazar, with five small children. All had succeeded in evading the previous night’s murders by hiding in an underground water conduit. Masada had fallen. But it was a hollow victory for the 10th Fretensis.
Detachments of the legion would continue to occupy Masada for another forty years. Today, Israel Defence Force recruits take a vow – never to let Masada fall again.
Source:
Dando-Collins, Stephen. “Part III: The Battles – Machaerus and Masada.” Legions of Rome: The Definitive History of Every Imperial Roman Legion. Thomas Dunne Books, 2012. 356. Print.
Further Reading:
Lucius Flavius Silva Nonius Bassus
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I've never much appreciated ancient and third world concepts of honor. This same lunacy has parents murdering their children after a rape to "preserve honor".