Editing Masada (section)

==== Epigraphic findings ====
Inside the synagogue, an [[ostracon]] bearing the inscription ''ma'aser cohen'' ({{Script/Hebrew|מעשר כוהן}}, [[tithe]] for the priest) was found, as were fragments of two scrolls: parts of [[Deuteronomy]] and of the [[Book of Ezekiel]] including the vision of the [[Dem Bones|"dry bones"]] ({{bibleverse|Deuteronomy|33–34}} and {{bibleverse|Ezekiel|35–38}}), found hidden in pits dug under the floor of a small room built inside the synagogue. In other [[Locus (archaeology)|loci]], fragments were found of the books of [[Book of Genesis|Genesis]], [[Leviticus]], [[Psalms]], and [[Sirach]], as well as of the [[Songs of the Sabbath Sacrifice]].

In the area in front of the Northern Palace, 11 small ostraca were recovered, each bearing a single name. One reads "ben Ya'ir" ({{Script/Hebrew|בןיאיר}}) and could be short for Eleazar ben Ya'ir, the commander of the fortress. The other 10 names may be those of the men chosen by lot to kill the others and then themselves, as recounted by Josephus.