The History of Masada Research After the Byzantine period, Masada sank into oblivion until the nineteenth century. The first scholars to identify Masada with the plateau the Arabs called es- Sebbeh were the Americans Robinson and Smith in 1838, and the first to climb it were Wolcott and Tipping in 1842. Warren climbed Masada from the east in 1867, Conder described and mapped it in 1875, Sandel discovered the water system in 1905, and Schulten studied mainly the Roman fortifications in 1932. From the 1920s and especially during the 1940s, Masada became a lodestone for pioneering Zionist youth groups. The Hebrew translation in 1923 of “The Jewish War” by Josephus, as well as the poem “Masada,” written by Yitzhak Lamdan, published in 1927, brought Masada closer to the hearts of young people in Palestine’s Jewish community. Shmarya Guttman, who led numerous trips to the mountain, was particularly instrumental in transforming Masada into a symbol. Together with Micha Livneh and Ze’ev Meshel, Guttman rediscovered the Northern Palace and the Snake Path in 1953. Survey excavations were carried out in 1955–1956, mainly in the northern part of the plateau and the water system. This led to the major excavations carried out by The Hebrew University of Jerusalem, headed by Yigael Yadin (1963–1965). These excavations uncovered most of Masada’s structures, along with thousands of well-preserved artifacts that present a rare picture of the material culture at the end of the Second Temple period. During the excavations many buildings were conserved and reconstructed and after preparation of the site for visitors, Masada National Park was opened in 1966. The construction of the first cable car in 1971 increased the stream of visitors.
10
Made with FlippingBook - professional solution for displaying marketing and sales documents online