THE SNAKE PATH AND SIEGE RAMP

Masada from the air

Masada was the perfect site for a fortress - in a key position but remote, isolated, and with a clear view of the surrounding country.

This eagle's eyrie could be approached by two paths only - one that was narrow, exposed and dangerously steep, from the shore of the Dead Sea; the other across the saddle back which links the isolated cone of Masada and the massif  of the Judaean hills to the west.

Even this approach was so difficult that it was known as 'the serpent', or the 'Snake Path'. See the bottom right hand quarter of the photograph above.

It beggars belief that so much was carried up and down this path, over many years:

• all the building materials for the palaces and support buildings
• all the food and drink needed for a large number of people.

When the Romans decided to capture the fortress, they knew they could not use the 'Snake Path'. Any soldier using it would be vulnerable to attack from the walls above. 

So they built a gigantic siege ramp, still visible today.