Paul Calvert spoke with the Israel Museum Director

James: From all the places that I have mentioned, because we really wanted to cover the whole narrative of Herod's hand on Jerusalem, Caesarea, Masada, Jericho and finally Herodium.

Roman coin

Paul: Do you really get an understanding of who Herod was when you come to the exhibition?

James: I think you just need to walk around and do two things; you want to feel the sense, the way in which the Roman aesthetic presence laid its hand on the building of the region, but then you also want to keep in mind this was the period of the flourishing of Second Temple Jerusalem and you get it just like that.

Paul: How much has it cost to put this on and has it all been paid for?

James: I can't really say how much it cost, because we don't talk about that. I will say though, that it cost twice what a major scale exhibition normally costs. Fortunately the exhibition has been entirely funded by a major foundation in the US, The William Davidson Foundation in Detroit, which is very committed to archaeological heritage in Israel and Bank Hapoalim in Israel and by several private sponsors.

Paul: What is your prayer for the exhibition as people come to visit it?

James: We are having the exhibition on view for nine months; so that our local public can really experience it in depth and also that all tourists who come to the country during this period will have the opportunity to see it. If the museum could be even bigger, this is a kind of display that you would create as a sidebar to our moment in our long narrative, about the very important time of Second Temple Jerusalem. We want as many people as possible to come to see it and enjoy it and to appreciate this side of Herod.

Paul: What happens to all the pieces once the exhibition is finished?

James: Some are from our own collections, some are borrowed from other collections and the material from Herodium will go back to Herodium.