What was the largest mass human suicide in recorded history?

Zap_Rowsdower

The mass suicide at Masada (967) claims the highest number, but it is possibly an apocryphal account: "In short, we do not know whether the mass murder-suicide really occurred, nor have the stones been kind enough to say." http://www.netours.com/jrs/2003/masada-revolt.htm The Jonestown mass-suicide which claimed 913 lives is certainly more recent and better-documented: http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Jonestown Nov 11 07, 7:35 PM

Arpeggionist

The Masada suicide is documented by Josephus Flavius, who claims to have been told the story by two witnesses who survived the event, after having hidden from the crowd and thrown themselves at the mercy of the Romans. Nov 11 07, 9:31 PM

author

The Battle of Saipan included a mass suicide by Japanese civilians. I don't have the exact number of people doing this, but there were at least several hundred. Quote: Many hundreds of Japanese civilians committed suicide in the last days of the battle, some jumping from "Suicide Cliff" and "Banzai Cliff". Efforts by U.S. troops to persuade them to surrender instead were mostly futile. Widespread propaganda in Japan portraying Americans and British as "devils" who would treat POWs barbarically, deterred surrender. In the end, about 22,000 Japanese civilians died. Almost the entire garrison of troops on the island — at least 30,000 — died. http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Battle_of_Saipan And then there is the Jonestown massacre, which was a combination of suicides and murders. Quote: There is a great deal unknown about what happened in Jonestown on the evening of November 18, 1978. The media has generally reported the event as a mass suicide, but in recent years, variations of the term "murder-suicide" have popped up. Those who believe the event was a mass suicide concede that the 287 children had no ability to consent to such an act and so were murdered. Many others point to evidence that most, if not all, of the 909 people who died in Jonestown were murdered. http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Jonestown_Massacre Nov 12 07, 6:42 AM

Odinsraven

This Source quotes 8,000 at Saipan http://www.bdblodgett.com/Saipan.html#Citizens Nov 12 07, 9:50 AM