Jodi MAGNESS. Masada. From Jewish Revolt to Modern Myth. Princeton, NJ: Princeton University Press, ©2019. pp. 264. $29.95 hb. ISBN-13: 978-0-691-16710-7. Reviewed by Linda M. MALONEY, Enosburg Falls, VT 05450.

Jodi Magness is one of a handful of modern archaeologists who can write engagingly for a non-specialist audience (and do “Great Courses” videos as well!). Who could resist, for example, a book called Stone and Dung, Oil and Spit (Eerdmans, 2011)? The subtitle of her new book on the history and archaeology of Masada already tells us that her interpretation will not follow the “party line” on the supposed mass suicide of the brave defenders of Masada as recounted by Josephus—an interpretation that, as she points out, has recently fallen into disfavor.

Masada is about more than Masada; as Magness states at the outset, she uses it “as a lens through which to explore the history of Judea in the late Second Temple period (mid-second century BCE—first century CE)” (p. 3). She manages to pack an amazing amount of information about the period into a short space (even while repeating herself a few times). After a Prologue outlining the subject and a first chapter, “The Siege of Masada,” giving Josephus’s interpretation, Magness includes a modern-historical chapter on “The Search for Masada.” This is followed by “Masada in Context,” covering the natural setting and the history of settlement around the Dead Sea. Then the site is related to its location in religious and political history in “Masada and Herod’s Other Building Projects” (ch. 4), “Judea before Herod” (ch. 5), “From Herod to the First Jewish Revolt against Rome” (ch. 6), and “The First Jewish Revolt against Rome” (ch. 7). The penultimate chapter, “The Rebel Occupation of Masada,” focuses on what archaeology tells us about the site during that period (ca. 66–73/74 CE). The remains confirm that hundreds of refugees—women, children, and men—including some from Qumran communities, found their way to Masada and survived there for a fairly long period. But Magness critiques her teacher, the hero of Masada excavation, Yigael Yadin, who dubbed the leaders at Masada “Zealots.” She agrees with most later scholars in saying that, even though Josephus uses the word “Zealots” once for the Masada leadership, his overall portrayal of them is as sicarii, people we would now call “terrorists.” Magness herself uses “rebels” and “refugees” as neutral terms for those in the fortress.

Magness’s intensive experience with the Masada site as a student excavator under Yadin and as a teacher/scholar gives weight to her conclusions regarding the buildings on the summit and what they say about the occupants (e.g., hundreds of spindle whorls, indicating the presence of numerous women). An Epilogue, “A Tour of Masada,” summarizes the fruits of her experience in leading hundreds of tours of the site, though the book itself, especially the chapter on the rebel occupation, contains information vital to understanding what one is seeing (and resisting tour-guide interpretations presented as fact).

Thus chapter 9, “Masada Shall Not Fall Again: Yigael Yadin, the Mass Suicide, and the Masada Myth” (pp. 187–200) is vital background reading, especially for those who have not followed the history and politics of the state of Israel closely. It contains a short biography of Yadin, including both his archaeological and his political engagements (which were not unrelated, hence his creation of the “Masada Myth”). A section on “The Mass Suicide” succinctly presents the pros and cons. Magness concludes that archaeology cannot answer the question whether there was such a suicide or not; it remains for Josephus scholars to evaluate his reliability. However, “The Masada Myth,” the final section, shows how the putative last stand of the defenders was politicized, becoming “a symbol of Jewish heroism and the modern State of Israel” (p. 197).

Magness points to Yadin’s Zionist involvement as key to his politicizing of the site, though she emphasizes that his ideology did not taint his archaeology. Although it remains the second-most-visited archaeological site in Israel, Masada’s symbolic value has declined along with the influence of Zionism among younger Israelis. It remains a magnet for Diaspora Jews, and foreigners in general are more likely to remain trapped in the myth. (Magness points to the ceremonial visits of several recent American presidents, though Trump’s was aborted by his refusal to ride the cable car to the summit. Out of deference to Palestinians, however, American presidents have not made speeches at Masada.)
Magness quotes Neil Silbermann (Between Past and Present, 1989, p. 88) in saying that Masada tells us as much about modern Israel as it does about ancient Jewish history: “the visible archaeological remains on the summit of Masada were not so much tangible proof of the story’s historical accuracy as they were elaborate and persuasive stage scenery for a modern passion play of national rebirth.” She herself concludes: “In the eyes of the world, Masada remains a symbol of the State of Israel and the Zionist enterprise.”