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siege, notable, ancient

Siege of Masada

Siege of Masada was a siege conducted in AD 72 at Masada, in what is now Israel. It was part of First Jewish-Roman War, which ran from AD 66 to AD 74. The recorded result: Roman victory. Recorded strength: 967, including non-combatants against Legio X Fretensis 4,800; Auxiliaries and slaves 4,000–10,000.

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A surprising Roman terrace at the siege of Masada, continued and extended to the foot of the fortress wall. The small terrace rises above the large one, with its timber-framed tower erected on top.
A surprising Roman terrace at the siege of Masada, continued and extended to the foot of the fortress wall. The small terrace rises above the large one, with its timber-framed tower erected on top.. Matthijs Pool, Public domain, via Wikimedia Commons.

Record

DateAD 72 (year precision)
PlaceMasada, Israel
31.316N, 35.354E
Part ofFirst Jewish-Roman War (AD 66 to AD 74)
KindSiege, ancient
ResultRoman victory
BelligerentsJewish SicariiRoman Empire
CommandersEleazar ben Ya'irLucius Flavius Silva
Strength967, including non-combatantsLegio X Fretensis 4,800; Auxiliaries and slaves 4,000–10,000
Casualties and losses960 dead, 7 captured (2 women, 5 children), according to JosephusUnknown
Siege of MasadaSiege of MasadaSiege of Al-KarakSiege of KerakSiege of MachaerusBattle of Beth ZurBattle of 3 ShevatSiege of Al-KarakSiege of MachaerusBattle of Beth ZurBattle of 3 ShevatTel AvivAmmanNablusEl ArishAz ZarqaBeer ShevaRamlaAl Mafraq100 km31.316N, 35.354E
The recorded site, with the nearest other engagements in the atlas. Present-day coastlines, rivers and borders; towns from Natural Earth.

Nearest engagements

In the same war

Siege of Masada is one of 33 engagements of the 1st century in the atlas and one of 106 in present-day Israel.

Sources

Identity, coordinates, dates and the war from Wikidata Q3555020, released under CC0. Result, belligerents, commanders, strength and casualties from the infobox of the English Wikipedia article Siege of Masada, revision 1383981204, read 2026-11-14, licensed CC BY-SA 4.0; the article's text is not reproduced here. Present-day country and state from Natural Earth. Dates before 1582 follow the Julian calendar as recorded.