On 11 August 1963, under the headline "New siege of Herod's fort", the Observer published an appeal for international volunteers to join the excavation of Masada, the site of King Herod the Great's palace, in the Judean desert. At the time, such a call to action wasn't considered controversial – Masada was a unifying symbol of Jewish cultural identity, with its history of fighting to the end against Roman agressors, though this version of events is now under some dispute. There's no denying though, that it's a very important site of archaeological interest.
5000 volounteers, from 28 countries, took part in the excavation in the 1960s, if you were one of them or knew someone – and would like to share any memories or photographs – you can do so by clicking on the blue 'Contribute' button on this page.
We will publish the most interesting contributions on the Guardian site.
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