3159 - Masada: Last Stronghold of the Jewish Resistance Against Rome
Course Description
In the first century B.C.E., Herod the Great, who ruled Judea as client king on behalf of Rome, built a fortified palace atop the mountain of Masada overlooking the Dead Sea. Seventy years after Herod's death, the First Jewish Revolt against Rome broke out and Jewish rebels occupied Masada. According to the ancient historian Flavius Josephus, at the end of the revolt the Romans besieged the mountain and the Jewish rebels committed mass suicide. In this slide-illustrated lecture, we survey the history and archaeology of Masada, including the results of excavations in the Roman siege works which Professor Jodi Magness co-directed in 1995. Magness’ recent book is Masada: From Jewish Revolt to Modern Myth (Princeton University Press, 2019). Join us for this archaeological journey!
Course Outline
Jodi Magness, Ph.D., holds a senior endowed chair in the Department of Religious Studies at the University of North Carolina at Chapel Hill: the Kenan Distinguished Professor for Teaching Excellence in Early Judaism. Magness’ book, The Archaeology of Qumran and the Dead Sea Scrolls (Grand Rapids, MI: Eerdmans, 2002), won the 2003 Biblical Archaeology Society’s Award for Best Popular Book in Archaeology in 2001-2002 and was selected as an “Outstanding Academic Book for 2003” by Choice Magazine. She has participated on 20 different excavations in Israel and Greece, including co-directing the 1995 excavations in the Roman siege works at Masada. Since 2011, Magness has directed excavations at Huqoq in Galilee (www.huqoq.org).
Notes
This course takes place in-person at the Friday Conference Center and consists of one session, Wednesday, April 12, from 10:00 a.m. - 11:45 a.m. The fee is $25.
Cancellation Policy
Cancellation must be received in writing at least one week before the start of classes. Participants will be issued a refund, less a $10 administrative fee. Contact Student Services, at stuserv@unc.edu for more information.
Participant substitutions are welcome. If you cannot attend, please contact Student Services with the name of the individual who will take your place.
In the meantime, if you have any questions, or need further information or assistance, please contact Laura Respess at lrespess@email.unc.edu.