CORKY
That bit about the balm provided what was, for me, a new element to the tale. Very practical, very Roman.

Some of the archaeologists' numbers may deviate somewhat from the reality of the situation at Masada, but they do seem to have made their point: forget the idea of a years'-long siege. Ancient Rome was a roaring powerhouse at the time of Masada, and disruptions were simply not tolerated. (Check out the Arch of Titus in Rome, which commemorates the crushing of civil disturbance around that time and in that same general place.). The Masada story has been distorted by a need by some to add to the Israel foundation story and the reaction of others to that ahistorical approach to history. That aside, the Romans were well-practiced, efficient, and devastating in their military engineering.