We are at sea level.  The Dead Sea is -1500 feet.

Paula test drives the Camel

Arva on Shu-shu

David Rose rose

Stella

Ann Selinger dismounts

A great experience.  Hut! Hut! Hut!  Notice the camel toes.

Buyers @ Sea Level

Bronze model of Masada and environs.  Near the middle is the ramp built by the Romans in 71 A.D. to roll up their siege tower.  Masada was built by Herod to guard the southern caravan routes.  Masada was occupied by the Zealots who committed suicide to avoid slavery and crucifixion.

We took the cable car

More hardy people walked up 1.5 miles

On the top, Herod had constructed a palace, storage rooms and cisterns to allow the occupants to stand a siege for years.  Israeli archeologists are reconstructing Masada.  Black lines mark the pre-repair walls.

Herod built huge cisterns for drinking and Roman steam baths.  There was a whole set of water ways that captured all the rain water and sent it to the cisterns.

Masada was rediscovered by following the writings of Flavius Josephus.

The Zealots looked down on the eight Roman camps and the enclosing wall.  Josephus described the Roman encampments and the siege wall.

Then Romans, using 10,000 slaves, built a ramp to roll up their siege tower.

These may have been the lots used to select the last to kill.

I suspect the lots said, schlimele, schmagegie, etc.  Note the 2,000 year-old Hebrew letters.  Same as today.