Looks like the ramp WAS built on a natural feature that would make it much easier (and faster) to build.
No doubt there were Iraqi's nearby who saw the whole thing.
bttt
I'll bet just about everything about ancient and midieval history is less romantic than it might seem.
You might find this of interest
It's a fascinating place. I have been there.
(Denny Crane: "Every one should carry a gun strapped to their waist. We need more - not less guns.")
Minor differences with completely plausible explanations. My guess is the real underlying purpose is to discredit Josephus because he substantiates Jesus.
How is mass suicide heroic?
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I thought it was established that there were only palestinians there in those days.
The Middle East, eh? Plus ca change . . .
Gee, with skeptical accounts like this, it gets to be pretty easy to imagine how the NYT would have covered the story, had they been there....
There is a moderately entertaining novel by author Kathy Reichs, "Cross Bones," about some of the archaeological discoveries at Masada. Unfortunately she also throws in some "Da Vinci Code" conspiracy crap but other than that is a pretty good read.
The traditional Jewish history of Masada is not 'romantic'. I may be unaware of what the socialist establishment of Israel has been teaching about Masada though.
The3 traditional telling of the Masada can be found at
http://www.aish.com/literacy/jewishhistory/Crash_Course_in_Jewish_History_Part_35_-_Destruction_of_the_Temple.asp
but one might start at
http://www.aish.com/literacy/jewishhistory/Crash_Course_in_Jewish_History_Part_33_-_The_Great_Revolt.asp
where the 'Zealots' in question are described:
"The Zealots. They were comprised of several different groups of nationalistic extremists. They were incensed at the Roman presence and were angry with other Jews whom they saw as actively or tacitly cooperating with the Romans."
"The Sicarii (meaning "dagger.") This was the criminal element often masquerading under the guise of nationalism. They sided with the Zealots."
Looks like the ramp WAS built on a natural feature that would make it much easier (and faster) to build.
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A few years back the ramp was shown to be mostly a natural formation, which explains why its remains seem to persist. The Romans did build a structure on top of the natural formation.
Masada Ramp Was Not a Roman Engineering MiracleWe cannot use Josephus's description to reconstruct the layout and dimensions of the ramp. First, the heights given by him for the ramp (200 cubits, or 300 feet), the stone platform at the top of the ramp (50 cubits, or 75 feet) and the siege tower (60 cubits, or 90 feet) are wrong. Josephus's figures add up to 310 cubits (465 feet), while the actual difference in height between the top of Masada's defensive wall and the base of the spur is only 315 feet. Also, at the top of the spur there is not enough room for a 75-foot-wide platform, as Josephus claims, and no remains of large masonry blocks, of which the platform was allegedly built, can be found nearby. It is more reasonable to assume, as already suggested by Lammerer, that the installations on the spur included only a ramp and a tower, without a stone platform.
by Dan Gill
Biblical Archaeology ReviewMasada wheel may be from Roman towerArcheologists at Masada have uncovered a solid wooden wheel dating from the Great Jewish Revolt exactly at the spot where Roman war machines broke through nearly 2,000 years ago. Led by Hebrew University archeologist Prof. Ehud Netzer, the team at first uncovered Byzantine ruins. While officials were hesitant to say if the find was part of the ironclad Roman siege tower rolled up a ramp to breach the fortress wall, the discovery raised excitement among archeologists and park officials, who see it as rare piece of solid evidence that further confirms the story of the ancient mountaintop fortress. According to the historian Josephus, the Romans built a gigantic assault ramp up the side of the mountain. On top of this a siege tower, covered in iron, was erected from which the Romans planned to attack the Jews holding out on the mountaintop.
by Arieh O'Sullivan
Jerusalem Post