The galleries flank the central courtyard.  They are large, high and rectangular with long high windows assuring daylight during visiting hours. The gallery ceilings are designed with medallions, as were the ceilings of ancient Rome. With the galleries running along two sides of the central courtyard, the museum’s first curator, J.H. Illiffe could arrange the items in chronological order. Other halls include a southern octagon containing sculptures and inscriptions from Bet She’an, and a west hall exhibiting the stucco sculpture from Hisham’s palace at Jericho.