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Message:: [QUOTE="David Atherton, post: 4359029, member: 82616"]A most wonderful group of coins! That Titus sestertius from Thrace is particularly nice. The Masada Myth has indeed been an inspiring story, yet one that is wholly fabricated from the thinnest of strands derived from Josephus. One of the biggest distortions states that the 900 or so souls atop the mountain peak were 'zealots'. Josephus says nothing of the sort. He calls them sicarii (knife-men) and tells us they looted and plundered the surrounding local Jewish communities until the Romans arrived. Not the sort of heroic stuff a 'freedom fighters' saga calls for. There is really is no archaeological evidence of a mass suicide either. Most likely the siege was concluded with a minor skirmish combined with suicides and followed by enslavement for any of the survivors. It is much more plausible to think that Josephus (who was not present for the siege) exaggerated the stories and field reports he consulted for rhetorical effect. For further reading, I suggest this book which debunks a lot of the mythology surrounding the tale. [ATTACH=full]1102258[/ATTACH] And if you're interested in the archaeology, try this fascinating lecture by biblical archaeologist Jodi Magness. [MEDIA=youtube]qzCD3LeQqKg[/MEDIA] Her recent book Masada is well worth tracking down too. [ATTACH=full]1102260[/ATTACH][/QUOTE]