Built by Herold, King of Judah, as his winter palace and a refuge from his enemies, Masada was home to luxurious palaces, well stocked storerooms and cisterns. After his death and the annexation of Judea to the Roman Empire, it became a garrison. The great revolt against the Romans by the Jews started with the reclaiming of Masada at which time a synagogue and ritual baths were added. It became the last bastion of the Jewish freedom fighters until a legion of about 8,000 Roman soldiers built eight camps around the base and initiated a siege which after a few months, quelled the rebel’s hope of victory so they laid next to each other cutting their own necks rather than fall into Roman hands.
