On March 10, the new book “HEROD: Ancient Authors on the King of Judea” was presented at ANU – Museum of the Jewish People. The book begins with an extensive essay on Herod by Michael Tuval and includes new translations of works by Josephus as well as Greek, Roman, Jewish and early Christian authors, a guide to the traces left by Herod the Builder compiled by Michael Korol, and maps and diagrams worked on by Mitia Frumin. The book was supported by the Nadav Foundation and is available from publisher Michael Greenberg.
Herod was probably the wisest and most protective king of Judea in the Second Temple period: he restored the Jewish state almost to its biblical borders, promoted economic prosperity, and rebuilt the Temple of Jerusalem, which was unparalleled in its beauty and splendor. At the same time, the name Herod has become a byword in world culture for cruelty and treachery. With virtually all the ancient evidence about Herod collected for the first time in one book, the reader can try to determine Herod’s place in Jewish and world history.
We thank all the participants, including the moderator of the meeting Nikolay Alexandrov, the book designer Polina Adamov and Michael Korol, who led an interesting thematic tour of the museum.
