ABSTRACT
The Vorderasiatisches Museum was founded in 1899 as a division (Vorderasiatische Abteilung) of the Königliche Museen in Berlin. Since 1930, it has been located in the Pergamon Museum on Berlin's Museum Island. With about 500,000 objects, it is the largest collection of Middle Eastern antiquities in Germany. The institution is a research museum of the archaeological heritage of ancient Middle Eastern societies. The collections are presented as material evidence of cultural practice reflecting on their research history, provenance, and cultural significance. The main goal of the new permanent exhibition of the Vorderasiatische Museum from 2030 onwards is the presentation of ancient Middle Eastern life under the topic “Unlocking Architectures—Communicating Cultures” (Architekturen erschließen—Kulturen vermitteln). Ancient Middle Eastern worlds will be exhibited from 2030 on the south wing of the Pergamon Museum. For the first time in the history of the museum, the presentation of ancient Middle Eastern cultural history will be presented in its entirety. In addition, the special cultural relevance of the objects should be shown in the context of their cultural heritage protection.
