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The exhibit begins with the proclamation of the Persian king, Cyrus, and the return home from Babylon of the Jewish exiles (6th century BCE). It describes the renewal of the Jewish bond with Jerusalem under Ezra and Nehemiah. |
| There follows the Hellenistic period, which began with the conquest of Alexander the Great (333 BCE) and the rule of his successors. The period is characterized by antagonism between Hellenized Jews and those who clung faithfully to their tradition. |
| A direct result of the rift was the Maccabean Revolt, the purification of the Temple (164 BCE) and the establishment of the Jewish ''Hasmonean'' kingdom. |
The exhibit continues with King Herod (end 1st century BCE), who turned Jerusalem into a splendid metropolis with the rebuilt Temple at its center, and ends with the destruction of Jerusalem and the Temple in 70 CE.
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 Selected items from the exhibit |
