מורדי מצדה: אליטיזם, סעודות וארגון חברתי לאור ממצא כלי החרס

The ceramic assemblage used by the rebels ofMasada during the late Second Temple period andimmediately after the destruction of the Temple wasrich and diverse. The composition of the ceramicassemblage from Masada was similar to that ofJerusalem’s wealthy upper city of the first centuryCE, rather than to the small rural settlements inthe Dead Sea region. Furthermore, during theperiod of the rebels’ activity, the Herodian buildingsunderwent many architectural alterations, andmany installations, mainly those for cooking, wereinstalled throughout the site. These together attestto an economically strong society, living a lifestyle ofoptions rather than one of necessity. The diversity ofthe finds around the site suggest some of Masada’sresidents perceived themselves as a social elite.The classification of the ceramic vessel typesuncovered throughout the site into categories ofstorage vessels, cooking untensils and tablewareindicates that the functional ceramic division of theMasada rebels was generally similar to that of thecontemporary settlements in Machaerus, Ein Gedi,Ein Bokek and Gamla. However, the relationshipsbetween these three functional categories differedsignificantly from one structure to another in Masadaitself. For example, in the Western Palace andBuilding 11 there was an abundancy of tableware,whereas in Building 13 and in the rooms of thecasemate wall surrounding the perimeter of the site,fewer vessels used as tableware were uncovered. Inaddition, in Building 13 and in the casemate walldwellings, almost every unit contained a cookinginstallation, indicating that each small social unitprepared its food separately and independently. Inthe Western Palace and Building 11 there were veryfew ovens and stoves; these were concentrated inspecific areas in the building, attesting to cooperationin the preparation of food. This, along with therich presence of tableware indicates that both foodpreparation and consumption were communal.These findings illuminate a very complex structureof the rebels’ organization at Masada: some hadinternal communal relations and cooked and dinedtogether, while others did so independently. Thesocial and cultural diversity suggest that Masada haddistinct, perhaps opposing, groups of residents, eachwith different perceptions and preferences regardingthe need for contact and cooperation amongst theresidents of neighboring buildings and units.