Masa­da is a rugged nat­ur­al fortress, of majes­tic beau­ty, in the Judaean Desert over­look­ing the Dead Sea. It is a sym­bol of the ancient king­dom of Israel, its vio­lent destruc­tion and the last stand of Jew­ish patri­ots in the face of the Roman army, in 73 A.D. It was built as a palace com­plex, in the clas­sic style of the ear­ly Roman Empire, by Herod the Great, King of Judaea, (reigned 37 – 4 B.C.). The camps, for­ti­fi­ca­tions and attack ramp that encir­cle the mon­u­ment con­sti­tute the most com­plete Roman siege works sur­viv­ing to the present day.