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These
include:
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 A
casemate (double) wall, three-quarters of a mile long, surrounding
the entire plateau. The Jewish rebels, too numerous to live in the
palaces and villas, later adapted the chambers within the wall for
living spaces.
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The main
administrative palace on the western side. Among the surviving gems is a mosaic
floor with a rosette pattern, interrupted by a crude construction of the Jewish
rebels.
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The
mosaic belonged to the lukewarm room (tepidarium) of the palace
bathhouse. The hot room (calidarium)
contains Herod's bathtub, which is rather narrow. Apparently he wasn't
so great.
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South of this main palace are two family villas and a swimming
pool. Around this pool are niches, enough for about twenty people. Into
them, perhaps, the family and guests put their things before taking a
dip. |
Built
into the casemates, on the northwest, is a chamber larger than the
others in this wall. Unlike the buildings on Masada, which have a
north-south axis, this one points toward Jerusalem. The rebels used
it as a synagogue, but it probably functioned as such already in Herod's
time. More...
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West
of the synagogue, on a higher level, is the main bathhouse, restored to
good condition. We can stand on its roof to survey the northern half of
the mountain, especially the large rectangular chambers for storage
of foods and beverages.
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Inside the bathhouse are four basic chambers: the dressing room
(apoditarium), whose frescoes are well preserved; the cold room
(frigidarium); the tepidarium; and the hot room or
calidarium. In this last, the small pillars supported a second
floor. Between the floors flowed oven-heated air, which proceeded up
ceramic pipes. The vaulted ceiling prevented the condensed moisture from
raining down on the sweating
aristocrats. |
Just
north of the bathhouse we see a plastered wall; it stretches across
this narrow part of the mountain. Behind it is the upper ledge of
Herod's three-tiered northern palace. He built it as an abode where
he could get away from the rest of the family -- hence the wall.
In view of the fact that he executed Mariamne, his beloved wife, and
later his three eldest sons, we are justified in supposing there were
problems in that family. More
about the northern palace...
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Masada:
Introduction
Young Herod and Masada
The Herodian structures on Masada
The Northern Palace
The Water Supply
The Build-up to the First Revolt Against
Rome
©
2003
Near East Tourist Agency
(NET)
Text
© 2003 Stephen
Langfur
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