Masada, this fabulous World Heritage Site presents us with a dilemma, to die free or live as a slave?
Masada at Dusk.
Painting, 45 x 61 cm (18″ x 24″), £ 1,1000
Masada, a place, a painting that is symbolic, an historic site, majestic, haunted and spiritual.
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Masada the Painting
An irresistible subject for this painter.
This painting was created from location studies and made soon after my visit to Masada.
There are only five ways to reach the summit of Masada.
These are by cable car, the Snake Path ascent, very steep, a second less accessible path up near vertical cliffs and by helicopter or parachute.
I chose to sweat my way up the Snake Path as my ancient ancestors would have done.
I was inviting a feeling the climb might give me to help me sense the atmosphere, the aura of Masada.
Masada is a great place to watch the set or equally memorable, the sun rise over the mountains of Moab and set over the Judean mountains.
Masada the fortress is a near impregnable fortress set Dead Sea Valley where even the air has a different feel.
Today you can see for yourself the engineering works and camps the Romans built, the huge effort they made to storm the fortress of Masada.
According to Josephus, as the Roman Legions prepared their final assault (73 AD), the defenders of Masada faced a terrible dilemma, death possibly by crucifixion of in the arena, or slavery.
The defenders chose suicide for every man woman and child rather than slavery.
This is the most extraordinary tale Josephus wrote, the siege of Masada and the destruction by the Romans of the last free Jewish stronghold of that period, Masada.
After its storming by the Roman Legions, Masada, its location and it’s story gradually became a legend, a myth, doubted by many scholars.
Most of the stories Josephus related were not believed until, lead by Israeli archaeologists, International teams began during the late 1940’s and 1950’s to verify with many amazing discoveries the remarkable accuracy of his accounts.
Masada was built as a mountain top fortress and place complete with swimming pools by king Herod in part as a ‘retreat’ Masada, in part intended to protect the rich camel train trade that used to transverse the Dead Sea Valley.
The Dead Sea Valley is the lowest habitable point on the planet, currently 420m (1,380ft) below sea level and subject to occasional earth quakes.
Israel is an amazing country, the Dead Sea being but one of it’s memorable surprises.
Masada Sunset (detail 1)
Josephus, The Roman War
Israel is a Land of ‘milk and honey’ the Bible recounts, so converted by many and yet for near 1300 years the land of Israel lay in ruins, as witnessed by such famous and diverse people as Napoleon Bonaparte and Mark Twain.
Josephus is an eye witness, wrote “The Jewish War”.
Titus Flavius Josephus was born Joseph ben Matityahu, (יוסף בן מתתיהו, Yosef ben Matityahu), priest, warrior, scholar.
To the credit of the Romans his book was approved by the Augustus who took part in the war and who’s son General later Emperor Titus destroyed Jerusalem and very violently suppressed the Jewish uprising in A. D. 73
For trying to free themselves from Roman tyranny (73 A.D) the majority of the Jewish population, some ninety percent of the people were killed, murdered, enslaved and or forcibly expelled by the Romans following a 3 year war.
The Jewish people have been residents of Israel since at least 2000 B C as confirmed in the Bible, Persian and in Egyptian records.
A few (10% of the population) of the Jewish population despite frequent persecution never left Israel.
Their descendants still live in the land.
Jews were not permitted to own property or land until the Turks began to allow land sales at exorbitant prices for Jews around about 1850.
Consequently the Dead Sea region like 90 % of the country slumbered, turned to sand, dust and myth.
There is an near incredible yet honest account of that war (republished by Penguin Books) that caused that ruin written by a Jewish leader who survived.
Today Israeli conscripts (meaning young citizens regardless of their religions who serve) complete their military training with a visit to Masada and an oath ‘Masada will never fall again‘.
Arab Islamic invaders
turned the entire region into semi desert and waste land while forbidding ‘non believers’ to live there and making pilgrimage hazardous, expensive and generally very difficult.
This directly caused the crusades.
Witnesses to the condition of the land include Napoleon and Mark Twain
Masada Sunset (palace, detail 2)
Masada still is near impregnable.
Masada Sunset (Snake Path, detail 3)
Sources
2 visits to the Dead Sea Valley.
Josephus, “The Jewish War”.
Israel Tourist Board.
The author Titus Flavius Josephus, born Joseph ben Matityahu, (יוסף בן מתתיהו, Yosef ben Matityahu), priest, warrior, scholar, wrote “The Jewish War“.
Josephus The Jewish war is a ‘Penguin Classic’ISBN 0 14 044 420 3
Masada, Herod’s Fortress and the Zealots Last Stand by Yigaerl Yadin, published 1966, ISBN 0 297 787934 is an account of the first International team excavations of the site by the lead archaeologist.
This is these days much on the internet about the site and other books.
Anyone who wishes to begin to understand the Jewish people will find this and the book by James Mitchener, The Source, fair places to begin your quest.
Special Thanks to
To my life long friend Justin Phillips who introduced me to many things including the writings of Josephus.
Ellen Rose Senor, a real friend.
Sartia Senor (who in 2006 generously helped sponsor my exhibition in Jerusalem which included this painting).
Carol Lynn who motivated the above text.
Masada painted after exploring the location.
Masada Painting, 45 x 61 cm (18″ x 24″), £ 1,100.
order easily
You can own this painting from here easily, safely using £ bank to bank or by credit card Purchase Nowvia PayPal in anycurrency orin instalments byarrangement, contact us.
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