Masada is located on top of an isolated rock on the edge of the Judean Desert and the Dead Sea Valley. We took a cable-car up to the top of the rock. I think Rami said it was about 440 above the Dead Sea. It was a perfect place for Herod to build a fortress to watch from all sides. Another way to reach the top, for the adventurous, was a snake path which was rather difficult to climb. Most of the buildings were done around 37 and 31 B.C.E. The Roman era was probably around 6 to 66 C.E.
Masada was the place of Jewish rebel's in 70 C.E. until the Romans built ramps to the top and tried to bring the walls down with a battering ram. Eventually they ended up destroying it by fire. In 1963 a full-scale excavation began of Masada. In two years they uncovered almost all of it and restored many buildings.
Herod first created an intricate water supply system. Twelve huge cisterns could hold about 40 thousand cu.m. of water. Herod had his palace on the northern edge of the precipice. He also constructed a western palace.
On the south side, (I think) was the large bath house. There were perforated clay pipes which a furnace drove hot air. The walls of the castle were restored to some of its original colors. There was a Church and the view from atop all areas was magnificent.
Once we finished our tour on top, we went back down in cable-cars. You could see the four areas where the Roman's had built their fortress below ground. We ate lunch at the bottom of Masada.