Thieves Vandalize Ancient Fresco at Israel's Masada

Reuters ^ | Sun Dec 21, 2003

[presidio9]

Souvenir-hunting thieves have stolen part of an ancient fresco from the Israeli archaeological site of Masada, Israeli officials said on Sunday.

The thieves removed a 15 cm (6 inch) square section of a fresco that decorated the ancient Roman headquarters at Masada, located on a barren mountain overlooking the Dead Sea, the National Parks Authority said in a statement. Masada was originally a palace built by the Jewish King Herod on a desert mountain whose sheer sides served as a natural fortress. After the Romans conquered Jerusalem and destroyed the Jewish Temple in AD 70, Jewish fighters took refuge there.

But, as the Roman scribe Josephus recorded, they were besieged by the Roman Tenth Legion, who enlisted thousands of slaves to build a giant ramp to breach the walls.

Realizing they could not hold out for much longer, most of the fighters committed suicide rather than be taken captive.

Israeli archaeologists restored Masada in the 1960s and it is now one of the country's most popular tourist attractions.

The fresco had recently been the object of a further costly restoration, but the thieves -- who the National Parks Authority said were probably souvenir hunters rather than professionals -- may have chosen the wrong target.

Local legend has it that "those who took even a stone from Masada lived to regret it."

[presidio9]

[eastsider]

Nice shot of the ramp!

[presidio9]

BTW, I am shocked that Reuters missed an opportunity to point out that Masada is not "in" Isreal.

[KantianBurke]

But, as the Roman scribe Josephus recorded, they were besieged by the Roman Tenth Legion, who enlisted thousands of slaves to build a giant ramp to breach the walls.

The History channel had a special on Masada awhile back. The show claimed that it was the Romans themselves who built the ramp as if they had used slaves, every time the Jews attacked the slaves would have been defenseless.

[presidio9]

[American in Israel]

The Romans used Jewish slaves so that the Masada folk would not kill them off building the ramp.

It worked.

Stealing a part of a national park exibit should carry some serious jail time.

Hope they get a cell with some nice Moslem's.

[SunkenCiv]

Just adding this to the GGG catalog, not sending a general distribution.

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