Roman Ramp at Masada
In 74 CE, aided by thousands of slaves, the Romans completed building a giant ramp on the western side of the mountain that enabled them to storm the fortress. The Zealots then realized that they were going to come face to face with the Roman army.
The 960 men, women, and children living at Masada could have surrendered, but they decided to die, at each others' hands, rather than being taken captive, tortured, or killed.