Considered the most imposing Hellenistic site in Jordan, the Qasr al-Abd at Iraq al-Amir was the dream of Hyrcanus, an unscrupulously ambitious member of the influential Tobiad family. With the assistance of architect François Larché, of the National Center of Scientific Research, this program virtually reconstructs the ornate but uncompleted palace—ironically, a symbol of Hyrcanus’ failed aspirations. Fawzi Zayadine, of the Jordanian Department of Antiquities, places Hyrcanus, both the player and the pawn, within the context of the power struggle between the Ptolemaic and Seleucid Dynasties. (27 minutes)