Masada - "Cannonballs"

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These "cannonballs," probably used in a Roman catapult, are a reminder of the Roman “victory” at Masada. According to Josephus, a band of Zealots (Jewish resistance fighters) and their families committed mass suicide the night before the Roman army burst through a breach in the wall at Masada.

Most of what we know about Masada comes from Josephus, who tells the dramatic story of those Zealots defending the fortress during the 2nd Jewish Revolt or Bar Kochba Revolt. 

They had vast supplies of wheat, water, wine, and weapons in the storerooms and could have held out indefinitely, except the Roman army dug in for the long-haul and were determined to kill and/or enslave them.

With labor supplied by Jewish slaves from Jerusalem, they built a massive siege ramp leading to the top of the plateau, and prepared to storm the walls. The Zealots realized there was no escaping the wrath of the Romans, so they decided to take their own lives instead of dying at the hands of the Romans, or becoming slaves.

When the Roman soldiers completed the siege ramp, breached the wall, and entered the fortress, they were met with complete silence. The Jewish defenders were dead—cannonballs notwithstanding.