Masada - MARDA

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Monastery name, type, category

Site Name:

Masada

Identification:

Early scholars identified the site of Marda with the Hasmonean stronghold of Hyrcania. This identification was based on the similarity of the Arabic name of the site: Kh. el-Mird, and on the spatial relationship between the monastery and its garden (regarded by those holding this identification as being at Ein Feshkha ), described by John Moschus as having been on the shore of the Dead Sea, 6 miles from Mardes (Pratum 158 [ed.Migne 3025]). Lagrange (1894), was the first to identify Marda with Masada - the mountain fortress of Herod the Great, and since then it is the common opinion. According to Vita Euthymii 11 (ed. Schwartz, 22. 2-7) of Cyril of Scythopolis, Euthymius with his disciple Domitian erected there a prayer hall with an altar in 422 CE. The church still existed in the time of Cyril (ca. 560). According to John Moschus, writing ca. 620, a colony of anchorites existed there in his time.

Monastery name:

MARDA

Monastery type:

Laura

Monastery category:

Desert

Former fortress

Location

Coordinates, ITM system:

23,336.00

58,041.00

Coordinates, ICS system:

18,336.00

80,841.00

Geographical region:

Judean Desert

Provincial affiliation:

Palaestina I

Bishopric:

Eleutheropolis

Topographical location:

On a level plateau at the top of a mountain.

Soils:

Rocky limestone

Distance from nearest bishop-seat:

ca. 50 km (Jerusalem)

Distance from Roman roads:

ca. 2 km west of the Dead Sea road leading northwards to Ein Guedi.

Source of knowledge

HideLiterary sources

Text number	Summary
1	Story of the donkey of the laura on Mt Mardes, from an early 7th cent. collection of anecdotes.

HideEpigraphy

Text number	Summary
1	The name “Cyriacus” flanked by two crosses in a monastic cell.

Archaeological remains

Surveyed site

Surveyors:

Name	Date
Conder and Kitchener	1871-1877
Lagrange	1894
Abel	1911
Schneider	1931

Excavated site

Excavators:

Name	Date
Yadin	1963-1965

History:

The most famous period in the history of Masada is recounted by Flavius in his account of the Jewish revolt against Rome in 66 CE (War 7, VIII-IX). The first monastic known to have settled on the mountain was Euthymius with his pupil Domitian, after having left the monastery of Theoctistus and before continuing on to the Desert of Zif (V. Euth. 11[ed. Schwartz 22.2-7]). The remains of the laura are dated to the second half of the fifth century, although the church was the only structure that was actually constructed by the occupants of the laura, the rest being Herodian structures adapted for use by the monks. After the site was abandoned, probably in the first half of the seventh century, it was never reoccupied.

Bibliograpy:

Conder, C. R., 1875	136-137
Conder, C. R. and Kitchener, H. H., 1883	420-421
Lagrange, M. J., 1894	263-76
Delau, V., 1899-1900	233-40
Schneider, A. M., 1931	251-53
Schulten, A., Lammerer, A., Paulsen, R., Regling, K. and Schramm, E., 1933	67
Abel, F. M., 1938	II: 380
Yadin, Y., 1965	24-25
Chitty, D. J., 1966	83-84
Ovadiah, A., 1970	137-38
Hirschfeld, Y., 1989	262-74 (English summary 204*)
Hirschfeld, Y., 1990	53-55
Netzer, E., 1991	361-69, 397-98, 427-38 and more
Hirschfeld, Y., 1992	49-52
Tsafrir, Y., Di Segni, L. and Green, J., 1994	178-79
Hirschfeld, Y., 2001-2002	119-56
Netzer, E., 2002	353-64
Di Segni, L., 2005	87
Ben-Tor, A., 2009	255-268
Magen, Y. and Kagan, E. D., 2012	304-06

Abbreviation for Journals and Series

State of certainty:

Archaeologically and Literarily definitive

General description

State of preservation/which parts were uncovered:

The remains of the Byzantine laura Marda, ca. 8 hectars in area, were uncovered within Yadin extensive excavations in the Herodian fortress. The laura core, on the western side of the mountain, near the Byzantine gate, comprise of a monastic chapel with a diakonikon and a Service Building ca. 50 m distant from each other. The Service Building (oikonomeon), held a refectory, kitchen, stable, storerooms a hospice(?) and a courtyard to their east. 13 dwelling were recorded across the site, scattered throughout the mountain, from the Northern Palace to the southern tip of the summit. Some ruined rooms of casematewall, mainly on the west, at the top of the siege camp, were restored.

Illustrative material:

Illustrative_material

Photos

Figures

Masada- general plan of the church complex (Magen and Kagan 2012 II: 304-306)

Masada- general plan of the Service Building (Magen and Kagan 2012 II: 304-306)

General description

Paths:

The cells and the core of the laura are connected by a network of paths. These are clearly visible in aerial photos and probably retain the original form. Two major paths existed: one connecting the western and eastern gates, the other connecting the northern cells and the southern cells with the core. Their junction is near the church. Two paths lead to the site. The western path ascends the Roman siege ramp and the eastern one is the "Snake" path ascending from the Dead Sea.

Enclosing walls:

The site is surrounded by the Herodian casemate wall, repaired on the west, where the Rooman troops intruded the fortress.

Gate/s:

The Western Gate is a double gate with arches, one of them being a pointed arch, very uncommon to the Byzantine period. The gate was still standing in the 19^th century.

The eastern gate, located at the top of the "Snake path", made use of the Herodian Gate.

Courtyards:

A large courtyard estimated at 250 m², surrounded by a wall is located in the eastern side of the Service Building, located on the western part of the site overlooking the Roman siege ramp.

A second, large, L-shaped courtyard is located north and east of the chapel, it is accessed through an elongated hall.

Churche/s:

The church, of a monastic chapel type, is located ca. 50 m. east of the Service Building, forming with the latter the core of the laura. It is located northeast of the ruineous Herodian Western Palace. It consists of a prayer hall with an internal apse (10 x 4.8 m, inner dimensions), a narthex to its west, a diakonikon and an elongated hall (8 x 3 m) on the northwestern side. The bema was separated from the prayer hall by a marble chancel screen, fragments of which were found in the debris. A window is located in the apse, four other windows in the southern wall, and two more in the northern wall. A deep cavity in the floor of the bema suggests the location of the reliquary.

The prayer hall was paved by a light mosaic floor. The diakonikon had a colorful mosaic floor of 4x4 populated medallions holding fruita, flowers and geometric patterns surrounded by a rope design.

The walls were decorated by pottery sherds arranged in various pattern in three registers from bottom to top.

Dwellings:

Remains of 13 cells were found around the mountain. The average distance between them is 62 m. Most of the cells are square structures of a uniform plan. Most consist of two to three rooms (Yadin 1965: 113-114). The floor is packed lime. Many storage niches were installed in the walls and windows similar to those of the chapel (narrow on the outside widening inwards).

Cell no. 1- in the upper terrace of the northern palace, divided into 3 rooms (fragments of glass found attesting to glazed windows.

Cell no. 2 – adjacent to the eastern wall of the bath-house.

Cell no. 3- in the courtyard of the large structure south of the storerooms. 8 x 5 m (external measurements) divided into three rooms.

Cell no. 4 – at the gate to the western palace.

Cell no. 5 – in a cistern decorated with crosses.

Cell no. 6- south of the eastern gate (the Snake Path).

Cell no. 7- a cave southwest of the eastern gate. The inner part of the cave is divided into two rooms: a square outer room (ca. 5 x 5 m) and a smaller (3.3 x 2 m) inner room. A painted inscription was found in this cell with the name Kiriakus.

Cell no. 8 – in the southern part. Near the cell a large amount of tesserae were found (Yadin 1965: 14). The cell (6 x 4 m) consists of two rooms and a yard surrounded by a stone fence to its north.

Cell no, 9 – southwest of cell no. 8.

Cell no. 10 – southeast of cell no. 9, this is a cave. On its walls some crosses were preserved.

Cells no. 11-13 – these are located at the southern end of Masada near a large reservoir.

Refectory:

Unusual for a laura, Masada possessed a refectory, located in the Service Building. It held four 1.2x1.2 sitting installation with tables placed on top of a column drum and surrounded by stone built and plastered benches. It could serve some 16 monks.

Storage facilities:

Many storage niches were found in the walls of the dwelling cells and in the Service Building. Cupboards with wooden shelves and doors were installed in the church complex.

Kitchen:

The kitchen is located on the in the core building, to the south of the refectory. It held a kooking stove with three fire compartments.

Hostelry:

Hirschfeld suggested that the NE part of the Service building might had served as a hospice.

Stable:

A stone paved section of the Service Building is interpreted as a stable.

Water installations:

The former fortress had a sophisticated water collection system, part of which was used by the monks in the Byzantine period. According to Cyril of Scythopolis (V. Euthymii 11), one of the cisterns, located near the church, was restored by Euthymius and his comrad Domitian.

Garden:

A small garden plot was found near cell no. 8. Other cells might also have garden plots. A according to Moschus, the laura possessed a vegetables garden by the shores of the Dead Sea at a distance of 6 miles from the laura.

Agricultural and industrial installations:

Remains of a lime pit were found southeast of the chapel.

Small finds

Small finds:

Category	Description
Pottery	Storage jars, found in the kitchen and refectory area; a cooking pot, found in cell no. 4.
Metal objects	A large bronze key decorated with an X.
Other	Remains of wood that had served as shelves and cupboard doors in the diakonikon niches.
Oil lamps	A bronze lamp found in cell no. 3

Detailed description

Dimensions:

Total area (sqm)	Size class
80,000	Large

Structure

Materials applied (walls):

Limestone

Components

Enclosing wall

Gate/s:

Courtyard/s

Monastery church:

Church type	Diakonikon	Link to church section	Church location
single nave	Diakonikon		Ground floor

Refectory

Dwelling type:

cells

Number of stories:

Kitchen

Built paths

Water installations:

Cisterns

Architectural evolution

Phase 1
Abandonment

General outline:

The laura was established in the remains of the Second Temple Herodian fortress of Masada. The church is the only structure that was erected by the monks of Masada. The rest of the structures were from the Herodian fortress that had been partially repaired.

Dating material:

Dating is based on the literary source and the stylistic characteristics of the mosaics in the chapel.

Phase date

Century:

5th c.

Within century:

Second half

General outline:

Abandonment was attributed by Yadin (1965) to the Persian invasion. Hirschfeld (1989:263) opined that abandonment was due to the geopolitical changes of the post Arab conquest period.

Phase date

Century:

7th c?

Within century:

First half

Iconoclastic evidence

Iconoclastic evidence:

Post Arab conquest history:

Abandoned