The Israel Museum, Jerusalem, premieres the world’s first exhibition on
the life and legacy of Herod the Great, one of the most influential – and
controversial – figures in ancient Roman and Jewish history. On view from
February 13, 2013, through October 5, 2013, the landmark exhibition Herod the
Great: The King's Final Journey will present approximately 250 archaeological
finds from the king’s recently discovered tomb at Herodium, as well as from
Jericho and other related sites, to shed new light on the political,
architectural, and aesthetic impact of Herod’s reign from 37 to 4 BCE. Among
the objects on view—all of which have undergone extensive restoration at the
Israel Museum for exhibition display purposes—will be three sarcophagi from
Herod’s tomb and restored frescoes from Herodium, his private bath from the
palace at Cypros; never-before-seen carved stone elements from the Temple
Mount; and an imperial marble basin thought to be a gift from Augustus.
Lionized as the “the greatest builder of human history,” King Herod was
also demonized for his uncertain ethnic and religious pedigree, controversial political
alliances, the execution of
his wife and three of his children, and erroneous association with the New
Testament narrative of the “Massacre of the Innocents” in Bethlehem. Herod the
Great: The King's Final Journey seeks to provide a better understanding of this
ancient figure through the monumental architecture he created and the art and
objects with which he surrounded himself. The exhibition will examine Herod’s
remarkable building projects, complex diplomatic relations with the Roman
emperors and nobility, and dramatic funeral procession from Jericho to the
mausoleum he constructed for himself in Herodium. A striking reconstruction of
the burial chamber of the mausoleum is a centerpiece of the exhibition.
In 2007, after a 40-year search, renowned archaeologist Professor Ehud
Netzer of the Hebrew University of Jerusalem discovered the ruler’s tomb at
Herodium on the edge of the Judean Desert. The site included a fortress palace
and a leisure complex with gardens, large pools, decorated bathhouses, and a
theatre with a royal box. In his final years, Herod reconfigured the
architecture of the complex to prepare the setting for his burial procession
and site, and constructed a magnificent mausoleum facing Jerusalem. The
Museum’s exhibition is dedicated to the memory of Professor Netzer, who died in
2010 at the site of his seminal discovery.
“Professor Ehud Netzer capped his
decades-long excavation of Herodium with his discovery of King Herod’s tomb in
2007, and over the past five years, archaeologists excavating the site have
made remarkable discoveries that have deepened our appreciation of Professor
Netzer’s remarkable achievement and enriched our understanding of Herod, his
reign, and his role in the history of the region,” said James S. Snyder, Anne
and Jerome Fisher Director. “We are proud of the extensive restoration work
that our conservation staff has been able to complete and thrilled to present
these important finds to the public for the first time in an exhibition that
will illuminate a pivotal period in the history of the Land of Israel.”
Herod the Great: The King's Final Journey will be organized around the
route of Herod's carefully planned funeral procession, from the throne room at
his winter palace in Jericho, through Jerusalem, to his monumental tomb at
Herodium. Central themes of the exhibition include Herod’s impact on the
architectural landscape of the Land of Israel; his complex relationships within
the Roman Empire; and his death and burial:
• Herod the
Great Builder
King Herod is known for his large-scale building projects, which required
enormous resources and transformed the landscape of the Land of Israel. In
addition to his most renowned achievement—the renovation and re-construction of
the Temple in Jerusalem—Herod also built elaborate palaces, fortresses, public
buildings, pagan temples, and cities which reflect the integration of local
building traditions and materials with Roman technology and style. Herod’s
extensive building activities will be illustrated in the exhibition through
architectural elements and archaeological fragments from several Herodian
sites, including Jerusalem, Jericho, Cypros, and Herodium.
• International
Relations
Herod’s rise to power was tightly bound with the rise of the Roman
Empire, whose culture he greatly admired. Initially a friend and supporter of
Marcus Antonius, Herod famously switched allegiances, following the former's
defeat, and courted the favor of the first Roman emperor Augustus. Herod
expressed his devotion by dedicating temples and cities in honor of Augustus
and also paid tribute to other notable Roman personages, like Agrippa, in the
form of monetary, military, and political support. Herod’s special affiliation
with Rome will be presented through
portraits of Augustus, Livia and Marcus Agrippa, and through Augustan luxury
objects, brought to the region from Rome, as well as Herodian finds imported or
crafted by Roman artists.
• The Final
Journey from Jericho to Herodium
The funeral of King Herod in 4 BCE began at his lavish winter palace in
Jericho and ended at his fortress and palace at Herodium, where he was buried
in a mausoleum especially constructed for him facing Jerusalem. The King’s
final journey will be presented through reconstructions of special
architectural elements from Jericho and Herodium, including the decorated
throne room of the Jericho palace where Herod’s body lay in state and the
burial chamber from his mausoleum.
Herod the Great: The King's Final Journey is organized by the Israel
Museum and curated by David Mevorah, Curator of Hellenistic, Roman, and
Byzantine Periods, and Dr. Silvia Rozenberg, Rodney E. Soher Senior Curator of
Classical Archeology. The exhibition is accompanied by a comprehensive 250-page
catalogue, published by the Israel Museum, featuring the first publication of
the tomb complex and other discoveries from Herodium. The catalogue also
includes scholarly articles on Herod’s life and the legacy of Herodian
architecture, written by Professor Netzer before his death in 2010, and by
other leading experts in the field.
The Israel Museum, Jerusalem (www.english.imjnet.org.il)
The Israel Museum is the largest cultural institution in the State of
Israel and is ranked among the leading art and archaeology museums in the
world. Founded in 1965, the Museum houses encyclopedic collections ranging from
prehistory through contemporary art and includes the most extensive holdings of
Biblical and Holy Land archaeology in the world, among them the Dead Sea
Scrolls. In just over 45 years, the Museum has built a far-ranging collection
of nearly 500,000 objects through an unparalleled legacy of gifts and support
from its circle of patrons worldwide. In 2010, the Museum completed a
comprehensive renewal of its campus led by James Carpenter Design Associates,
New York, and Efrat-Kowalsky Architects, Tel Aviv, including the creation of
new galleries, orientation facilities, and public spaces, and the complete
reinstallation of its encyclopedic collections. The Museum also organizes and
presents programming at its off-site locations in Jerusalem at the Rockefeller
Archaeological Museum, where it presents archaeological artifacts from the Land
of Israel, and at its historic Ticho House in downtown Jerusalem, a venue for
exhibitions of contemporary Israeli art.