Siege of Masada

After the fall of Jerusalem in 70 CE, nearly a thousand Jewish Zealots held out atop the seemingly impregnable desert fortress of Masada for three years. The Roman Tenth Legion besieged them, building an enormous earth ramp up the cliff face. When the Romans finally breached the walls, they found that the defenders had chosen to take their own lives rather than be enslaved. Masada became an enduring symbol of resistance and determination.