Troy: The Dark and the Sublime
Prof. Andrea Rotstein, The Hebrew University of Jerusalem
Wednesday, September 9, 2026 At 19:00 | Hebrew
Included with Museum Admission
The Trojan War, perhaps the most famous war in Western culture, offers a web of stories at whose center echoes a possible historical memory.
The Iliad offers a glimpse into the critical weeks of the war’s final year; but parallel literary works, surviving only in later summaries, expand the picture and lead us to what preceded it and what came after.
Using literature and visual art, we will reconstruct the ancient stories: what became of the Trojans — and especially the women of Troy — before the Greek siege and after the city’s fall? What was the fate of Achilles, from his childhood to his end? And what can these traditions teach us about human nature?

Book launch: A City Without a Hinterland: Land Acquisition by Jews Around Jerusalem During the Mandate Period
By Dr. Yair Paz
Wednesday, September 16, 2026 19:00-21:30 | Hebrew
Included with Museum Admission
Program:
17:30  — Gallery tour: Documents, Acquisitions, and Land in the Ancient Near East
18:30 — Gathering and reception
19:00 — Lectures: Chair: Prof. Yossi Ben-Artzi, Prof. Irit Amit,Dr. Reuven Gafni, Dr. Michal Oren,Prof. Chaim Shapira
For more information about the event, click here >>

Study evening in honor of the launch of: Volume 10 in the final excavation report series of the Jewish Quarter Excavations
Directed by Prof. Nahman Avigad
Wednesday, October 7, 2026 At 19:00 | Hebrew 
Evening on the theme of remembrance — details to follow

Cassandra: Troy’s Prophet of Destruction, Seen Through Contemporary Eyes
Dr. Ronit Flisterant-Sachaik
Wednesday, October 14, 2026 At 19:00 | Hebrew
Included with Museum Admission
Close to the anniversary of October 7th, we will explore Cassandra, the Trojan princess who repeatedly tried to warn that Troy was about to fall and that preparations needed to be made accordingly.
By every means possible she begged her father the king and the senior military commanders not to bring the wooden horse into Troy, but no one heeded her warnings.
She was later brutally raped, and her end was bitter.
We will discuss a singular woman possessed of inner insight, who holds to her truth to the very end — yet to those in the palace she is a deranged prophet of doom, and as a woman she has little influence over the male decision-makers.
Her figure has inspired artists across the generations, and we will also examine the varied ways she has been represented in art, music, and film — though her resonance with the stories of modern-day “watchers” (tazpitaniyot) is especially chilling and tragic. How does the figure of Cassandra still speak to us today? And what is the secret of the fascination that has captivated so many artists?

“And He Built Cities in the Hill Country of Judah, and in the Forests He Built Fortresses and Towers” (2 Chronicles 27:4)
New Developments in the Study of the Army and Security of the Kingdom of Judah in the First Temple Period 
Dr. Sa’ar Ganor, Hebrew University
Wednesday, October 21, 2026 At 19:00 | Hebrew
Included with Museum Admission
Over the years, archaeological research of the Iron Age in the Land of Israel has focused mainly on excavating sites where settlements and major cities once stood. Few excavations have been conducted on individual structures within the Kingdom of Judah in general, and on towers, fortresses, and citadels in particular. Studies in military archaeology written in the early years of the State of Israel largely reflect an interpretive approach to “biblical archaeology” that was common at the time, harnessed to the national needs of the young state. Since then, archaeological research has of course come a long way, but topics dealing with security and the military have barely been studied.
This lecture will present up-to-date archaeological research, including findings from recent excavations and interpretation that sheds new light on military and security aspects of the Kingdom of Judah in the First Temple period. Topics will include, in depth, the organization, composition, and units of Judah’s army; its administrative and logistical apparatus; the kingdom’s economic and military interests; and the question of whether a distinct concept of internal versus external security — in routine and in emergency — existed in the Kingdom of Judah during the eighth through sixth centuries BCE.

 

The Lost Location of the Camp of the Tenth Legion “Fretensis” in Jerusalem: A New Solution to an Old Question? 
Dr. Ran Ortner
Wednesday, October 28, 2026 At 19:00 | Hebrew
The “Roman Peace” in the province of Judea was purchased through the extensive use of force by Rome’s imperial legionary army.
After the suppression of the Great Jewish Revolt, the Romans maintained that same “Roman Peace” by stationing the Tenth Legion in the Jewish capital, Jerusalem.
The question arises: how did this legion function in maintaining Roman peace in Judea, and specifically, where in Jerusalem was it encamped?

 

Cancellation Policy:
• Cancellation and a full refund are available up to 48 hours before the scheduled activity / event.
To do so, please contact the museum by email at contact@blmj.org or by phone at +972-2-5955337.