Before thinking you are about to see a major Jewish site, note that Masada is a Roman ruin all in all, the only exception being a synagogue converted from a stable by the Jewish rebels. Despite Josephus' claim that Masada was first occupied by the Hasmonean, no archaeological finding can support such claim and the current consensus points to Herod founded the site as a fortified palace between 37 - 31 BC. 

Many have even cast doubt on whether the mass suicide by the Jews had in fact occurred, pointing to the fact that Josephus couldn't possibly have known what had transpired since he was based in Rome at the fall of Masada, this compelling story nonetheless has taken a life of its own. This was a major source of national pride during the first decades of the founding of Israel, a myth that rallied a newfound nation-state to not let its precarious homeland to fall again.

Whatever really happened during the Jewish revolt, blessed with a dramatic setting and a well-preserved core, Masada is well worth a visit. Being able to also see the Dead Sea from a bird's-eye view is just icing on the cake.