During the last six years, archaeological discoveries have turned two much maligned monarchs into modern-day superheroes. Despite the 10,000 miles and 1,500 years between King Herods last breath in Jericho and King Richard IIIs fatal fall during the Battle of Bosworth Field, the two were linked in infamy; portrayed in the Bible and in Shakespeare as bloodthirsty tyrants who killed off their competitors. The revival of these two monarchs is not just down to archaeologists laboriously digging for new facts. Its part of a trend towards exploiting the past to reinforce the present. Since their places of death have been unearthed, theres been a surge of interest in the two kings. Herod and Richard have come in from the cold. The once-reviled monarchs have even become the focus of new tourist attractions. Matthews gospel in the New Testament relates how Herod, fearful of his throne when Jesus was born, ordered the massacre of all of Bethlehems male children. On top of this, the Jewish historian Josephus heaped scorn on him. Shakespeare in turn condemned Richard, the last Plantagenet on the throne of England, and implied that he arranged the murder of his nephews, the princes in the tower. But things started to change once the royal remains were located. Herods reputation improved after his tomb was found in 2007 on an arid hilltop in Herodian, seven miles from Jerusalem. For Richard, the change came after his skull and bones were located under a public car park in 2012 (along with the announcement this month that DNA samples have proved the identification). The revival of these two monarchs is not just down to archaeologists laboriously digging for new facts. Its part of a trend towards exploiting the past to reinforce the present. The media, politicians, novelists, playwrights, filmmakers and the many branches of the heritage and tourist industries have surfed in on the back of the archaeologists. Herod is currently the focus of the largest archaeological exhibition ever staged in Israel, The Kings Final Journey. The crowds queuing to see the quarter acre of exhibits at the Israel Museum have been so enormous that it will remain open for 11 months instead of a planned five. There have also been plans to build a permanent memorial to Herod. But, more importantly, his reputation has been reassessed and become relevant to the 21st century. Israeli politicians have seized on him as proof there has been a continuous Jewish presence in what is now the West Bank—the territory which the Palestinians insist belongs to them and should be part of their future state. In the 45 years since Israel occupied the territory west of the Jordan River during the Six Day War, over 200 Israeli settlements and outposts have been established there. These are home to some 350,000 Jewish settlers who travel through military checkpoints to Israel proper on a network of roads and highways. The whole area is now a patchwork quilt of Israeli and Palestinian districts. The revival of Richard’s reputation in England has been just as rapid but without the same political overtones. Locations are being canvassed for a statue, he is the subject of TV programmes such as The King in the Car Park and academic papers are re-examining his reputation. As in Jerusalem, queues to see an exhibition about the archaeological dig have been so overwhelming that plans have been made to extend the show. A permanent exhibition site is being built next to the car park. Meanwhile, a tug-of-war about whether Richard should be re-interred in Leicester Cathedral or the York Minster rumbles on. In March there was even a fiery anti-finders-keepers debate in the House of Commons. The design of a tomb for Richard has also been a sticking point. Like Herod, Richards reputation has been reassessed. It is now said that Richards negative qualities were amplified by Shakespeare, who was currying favour with the Tudor queen, Elizabeth. His reputation had already deteriorated with the onslaught of Tudor propaganda, and after the House of York became extinct there was nobody left to defend him. During the more than 500 years Richards body was rotting underground, he was seen as a cowardly hunchback who famously called out A horse! A horse! My kingdom for a horse! before his death. Few people remembered his undisputed good points, such as the introduction of bail into the English legal system. Thanks to Josephus, the sanitising of Herods reputation began from an even lower base. Like many Jews at the time, the historian was anti-Herod because of his close collaboration with the Romans and his lack of Jewish blood. Herods mother was a Nabatean from Petra, now part of Jordan. His father was from southern Palestine, an Edomite who converted to Judaism. Herod stood on the fence between the religions of Rome, Greece and Jerusalem, introduced Roman trophies into the Temple and erected a colossal golden eagle over its entrance. Other contemporaries were repulsed by his spiteful murder of his beloved Jewish wife, Marianne—as well as his two half-Jewish sons, along with a large number of rabbis.
Posted on: Wed, 05 Mar 2014 13:53:54 +0000
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