Joanne Guarnieri Hagemeyer archaeology 2022

Masada Museum: The Sicarii

They were considered a splinter group of the Zealots, and were called Sicarii because they hid small daggers called sicae in their cloaks. Like silent, stealthy assassins, they would blend in with the crowd then in a split-second strike of a snake, they would whip out their sicae to attack Romans, and disappear as a wisp of smoke.

Joanne Guarnieri Hagemeyer archaeology 2022

Masada Museum: Roman Soldiers

While Dave and I were walking through the Masada Museum, it occurred to me that Roman soldiers show up a lot, and at important junctures, throughout the Gospels and the Book of Acts.

Joanne Guarnieri Hagemeyer archaeology 2022

Masada: Herod’s Aerie

Herod the Great’s palace complex on the plateau of Masada does not feature in the Biblical narrative, but it is an impressive site, nonetheless, and speaks to Herod’s ambitious building program, enormous budget, and ambitions of grandeur.