The Breaching Point

The Breaching Point. נקודת הפריצה. , Here the siege of Masada ended. The ramp that the Romans had built up to the summit of the mountain reached to below this point. At the top of the ramp rose the siege tower, and in it was the battering ram with which the Romans assaulted the casemate wall. However, the rebels had built a wall of earth and wood, against which the battering ram was ineffective:, "Observing this, Silva, thinking it easier to destroy this wall by fire, ordered his soldiers to hurl at it showers of burning torches... At the first outbreak of the fire, a north wind which blew in the faces of the Romans caused them alarm; for diverting the flame from above, it drove it against them... Then suddenly the wind veering, as if by divine providence, to the south and blowing with full force in the opposite direction, wafted and flung the flames against the wall, which now through and through was all ablaze.", Josephus Flavius, When night fell, and it was clear that the situation was hopeless and that the Romans would break in at dawn, Eleazar Ben Ya'ir assembled his followers and called for mass suicide:, The Romans, expecting further opposition... were at a loss to conjecture what had happened... Here encountering the mass of the slain, instead of exulting as over enemies, they admired the nobility of their resolve and the contempt of death displayed by so many in carrying it, unwavering, into execution.", Josephus Flavius, The excavations here uncovered ballista balls and arrowheads numerous slingshots and signs of burning, evidence of the battle that raged at this spot.