1539

Lot 1539: c. 1790 Print, ÒThe Men of Massada

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Lot 1539: c. 1790 Print, ÒThe Men of Massada
<b>Judaica</b><hr><b>c. 1790 Print, 'The Men of Massada (previous to destroying themselves) Murdering their Wives and Children to prevent their falling into the hands of the Romans,' Choice Very Fine.</b>
Overall size 15' x 9.5,' taken from the American Edition of MaynardÕs 'Josephus.' Elaborate 'faux' framing surrounds a scene of a man about to stab a woman (presumably his wife) to death. Massada was a craggy mountain in Israel where approximately 1,000 Jewish Zealots staged a last resistance to the Roman invaders. In 72 A.D., the Romans laid siege to the mountain fortress. Rather than being taken captive by the Romans, the Jews agreed to a mass suicide, killing the women and children first, then each other, until the final man ran himself through with his own sword. Today, Massada is a symbol of freedom around the world. In an annual ceremony, recruits from the Israel Defence Forces Armoured Unit swear an oath of allegiance: 'Massada shall never fall again!'