Smithsonian Channel Documentaries

Siege of Masada (2015x7)

Air date: Mar 27, 2015

First told at the dawn of Christianity and at a moment of crisis for the Jews, the story of Masada has long fired the imagination of believers and non-believers alike. Yet, for most of recorded history, it’s been little more than a legend. Then, in the middle of the 20th century, everything changed. A mounting body of archeological evidence emerged – a ruined mountain fortress, a siege ramp threatening its walls, a series of ancient Roman camps. Taken together, they pinpoint Masada on the map. This is the indisputable site of an epic fight between the Roman army and a besieged community of Jews. But as the siege wall rose and their enemies prepared a final attack, did they really choose mass suicide and martyrdom over surrender?