Masada

Masada, mountaintop rock fortress near the southeastern coast of the Dead Sea, Israel. The castle-palace complex, built (37–31 B.C.) largely by Herod the Great, was seized from Roman occupation by Jewish Zealots in A.D. 66. A 2-year seige, 72–73, was needed to recover it, but the Zealots committed suicide rather than surrender. The site has been excavated (1963–65) and restored.