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In the Matrix Reloaded, we get our first look at Zion, the sacred city where the freed humans live. What is Zion in history, and how does it relate to the Matrix saga?

First, the movie. In the Matrix series, Zion is mentioned in the first movie and actually visited in the second. It is where all humans that have been rescued from the Matrix "battery system" go to live. It is a sacred location that they protect fiercely, with thick walls, battlements and guns. In the Matrix Reloaded it is the subject of an all-out attack by the machines.

Now, the "real" Zion. Zion is a section of Jerusalem which held a fort run by the Jebusite. The fort was in the southeast area of Jerusalem. The Jebusite had no desire to turn this over to the incoming Jews who were leaving Egypt.

Along came King David. A direct ancestor of Jesus Christ, David was born around 1040BC and grew up as a simple shepherd. David defeated the massive Goliath as a boy, and the current king, Saul, grew jealous and tried many times to kill David. David avoided them all and, on Saul's death, took the throne.

Looking for a base of operations, David spotted the fort of Zion. The Jebusite refused to allow him in, and David invaded the fort by sneaking into the sewer systems. Then as a city grew around the fort, that city was called the City of David. The fort was moved to another hill, and in time a temple was built on the original location. The name Zion then referred to the temple. It was in this temple that the Ark of the Covenant, which David guarded, was kept.

In modern days, Zion was more of a 'thought' which applied to the area of Jerusalem and Israel as a whole, and the hopes of the Jewish people that they would be able to return here, form a home and worship God without outside interference.

How do these things relate to the story in the Matrix? First, Zion in both is a fortress-city - somewhere in need of defense against outer attack. It is also a "feeling" - the rallying cry for people who dream of a place where they can live without outside interference. It is a holy place, to be defended without quarter. It holds something sacred - in history it holds the Ark, and in the movie it holds the precious freed humans.

The Matrix Reloaded: Review
The Matrix Reloaded Cast Listing
The Matrix Reloaded: Plot and Spoilers
The Matrix Reloaded: Posters and Images
The Matrix Reloaded: Zionism and Judaism

The Matrix Reloaded: Persephone in Mythology
The Matrix Reloaded: Merovingian in History
The Matrix Reloaded: Thadeus in History