So very glad I decided not to skip the trip to Masada today, it was a fascinating place with a moving and remarkable story. Huge, seemingly impregnable fortress high on the cliffs, where in 73 A.D, 960 Jews, who had held out for 7 months against the Romans, chose to slaughter each other and be free in death rather than submit to Roman forces once they realised that their citadel was about to be breached. A lot of the original fortifications are still there and some have been reconstructed. We had a short cable car ride to the site, and then Ibrahim gave us a good tour of the extensive area for an hour or two before we headed back down for lunch at the Visitors Centre down below.Läs mer
ResenärJoanna, I have an ignorant question to ask of you? With cities and towns like Masada situated in the deserts how could they sustain themselves on a daily basis with fresh food? Or did they rely more on meat and dried foods, herbs and spices?The desert doesn’t support crops or vegetables without some form of irrigation and goats/ sheep need both water and grass or some sort of foliage to survive. I suppose these towns are located on trading routes so that may have supplied them with the essentials.... I would like to know more about the “cuisine” of those times.
ResenärPS. Once again great photos. Gives one pause to see the same last views as those who were under siege knowing that they had decided to die rather than submit to their enemy.
ResenärI don't know the full answer to those questions, Robyn, but at least at Masada, Ibrahim showed us a columbarium, where it is thought that they bred doves which provided protein in the form of both meat and eggs.
PalestinaMuristan31°46’39” N 35°13’40” E
PalestinaMuristan31°46’39” N 35°13’40” E
ResenärJoanna, I have an ignorant question to ask of you? With cities and towns like Masada situated in the deserts how could they sustain themselves on a daily basis with fresh food? Or did they rely more on meat and dried foods, herbs and spices?The desert doesn’t support crops or vegetables without some form of irrigation and goats/ sheep need both water and grass or some sort of foliage to survive. I suppose these towns are located on trading routes so that may have supplied them with the essentials.... I would like to know more about the “cuisine” of those times.
ResenärPS. Once again great photos. Gives one pause to see the same last views as those who were under siege knowing that they had decided to die rather than submit to their enemy.
ResenärI don't know the full answer to those questions, Robyn, but at least at Masada, Ibrahim showed us a columbarium, where it is thought that they bred doves which provided protein in the form of both meat and eggs.