Four of us had stayed up late the night before sharing war stories.

That’s what old soldiers, sailors and journalists do when they get together.

As we knew we were going to Masada the next morning, our talk turned to what each of us might have done if faced with the choice Palestinian rebels.

If you are not familiar with this dramatic Holy Land story, “Masada” is Hebrew for “fortress.”

It is an isolated rock plateau, akin to mesas in our own American Southwest.

For 3 years, rebels against their Roman occupiers held out atop this ancient fortification on the eastern edge of the Judean Desert overlooking the Dead Sea.

Fear and force

The Romans were merciless. They ruled through fear and force.

They killed or enslaved those they conquered.

They made examples of those who opposed them. They crucified many and left their bodies hanging on crosses after a slow and painful death for the conquered people to see what could happen to them for opposing Roman rule.

If you know the Masada story, you would be thrilled for a chance to visit it.

We had left Jerusalem after an early breakfast for the 68-mile drive to Masada, almost two hours along the fabled Dead Sea.

The Dead Sea – actually one of the world’s saltiest lakes – reeks of sulphur.

It’s what you might imagine Hades smells like.

Despite its stench, it is considered quite a healthy place to go, its salty waters a cure for many ailments.

I’ll share with you more about the Dead Sea later.

The road there was not as wide or well-paved as many of our neglected roads here, though I suspect there have been improvements made since then.

The desert has become a popular spa generating millions of dollars a year for Israel’s hospitality industry.

The road from Jerusalem heads east toward the Jordanian border then swings south along the banks of the Dead Sea.

The landscape looks like Mars – barren of vegetation or inhabitants. It is much like US southwest deserts that movie directors such as John Ford loved for their magnificent rock formations and sunlit days.

Making their stand

The desert gets as little as 2 inches of rain a year.

Here, we can get that much in a week.

Off to the east, miles across the Dead Sea, we could see the Jordanian highlands. To our right, the Judean mountains loomed high above the road.

Not a tree, bush or blade of grass could be seen.

This is where the rebels chose to make their stand against the Romans.

They were well fortified with natural water basins from winter rains and with ample supplies of grain and other non-perishable foods.

Due to Masada’s steep 1,300 foot cliffs, their fortress seemed far beyond even the Roman reach.

The rebels believed they could outlast the Romans.

They did not count on the tenacity and determination of the Romans to preserve their fearless warriors, who vanquished all.

For their part, the Romans believed the rebels would come down within months.

How could that many people atop a desert plateau hold out for long?

What would they do for food and water?

The Romans did not realize the extent of the rebels’ resources and cunning.

Thus the die was cast and the siege began of the 1,300 foot high Masada – about the height of New York’s Empire State Building.

With thousands of their own men to feed and shelter each day in the desert’s harsh climate, Roman logistics were put to a test.

That was what the rebels were counting on. The cost of the Roman siege would be punishing.

Could the rebels hold out longer atop Masada than the Romans were willing to in the desert below?

If the worst came, the rebels were determined to die rather than be taken into bondage as slaves.

Next: What were the rebels revolting against?