Siege of Masada

The hilltop fortress of Masada, in present-day Israel, was successfully besieged and taken by Roman imperial forces between 72 and 73 AD, during the final period of the First Jewish–Roman War.^¹ At the time, the fortress was held by members of the Sicarii rebel group.^¹ The siege is recorded by a single contemporary written source, The Jewish War by Josephus.^¹ According to Josephus, the long siege ended with the mass suicide of the Sicarii and resident Jewish families.^¹