BERLIN TRAVEL GUIDE

Berlin Travel Guide
Pergamonmuseum
The Pergamonmuseum is one of the most important museums of ancient art and architecture in the world. The
museum was built in 1909–30 by Alfred Messel and Ludwig Hoffmann to house Berlin’s collection of antiquities
as well as vast temples and palace rooms in their original size. These works of art, excavated by German
archaeologists in the Near East at the end of the 19th century, were shown here for the first time.
For more on Berlin museums (see Museums)
Top 10 Exhibits
1
Pergamon Altar
The colossal Pergamon Altar, dating from the year
160 BC, is the largest and most important treasure of
the Berlin museums. The altar was part of a much larger
temple complex in the Greek town of Pergamon (today
the town of Bergama in Turkey), excavated in the 19th
century by the German archaeologist Carl Humann (see
Figures on the Pergamon Altar) .
2
Market Gate of Miletus
This vast gate (AD 120) is over 16 m (52 ft) high. To
the right of the entrance, a hairdresser has carved an
advertisement for his shop into the stone.
3
Assyrian Palace
The interior of this palace from the days of the
Assyrian kings (12th century BC) has been completely
restored and boasts impressive statues of lions.
4
Ishtar Gate
The imposing Ishtar Gate and the Processional Way
that led to it are fully preserved. The original avenue in
ancient Babylon was 180 m (590 ft) long. The gate was
built in the 6th century BC, during the reign of
Nebuchadnezar II. Original faïence wall tiles depict the
sacred lions.
5
Goddess Persephone
The 5th-century BC Greek statue of the goddess of
the underworld sports a mysterious smile, the expressive
symbol of her divinity.
6
Goddess Athena
The beauty ideal prevalent in Greek antiquity is
perfectly reflected in this statue’s features. It is one of
many valuable and impressive sculptures worth exploring
in the collection of antiquities.
7
Aleppo Room
Dating from the early 17th century, this small room
features magnificent wooden cladding taken from the
house of a Christian merchant’s family in Syria. A
beautiful example of Ottoman architecture, the room
originally served as a reception hall.
8
Roman mosaic
This magnificently executed Roman floor mosaic
dates back to the 3rd or 4th century AD. It was excavated
in Gerasa in Jordan.
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9
Palace of Mshatta
A gift from Sultan Hamid II to Kaiser Wilhelm II, this
desert palace, built in AD 744 in Jordan, has an
elaborately decorated southern façade.
10
Temple of Athena
Dedicated to Athena of Nikephoros, this full-scale
temple from the 2nd century BC has a simple yet elegant
design.
Figures on the Pergamon Altar
1
Eastern Altar Frieze
The eastern side of the altar frieze – the side first
lit up by the rising sun – depicts the battle between the
gods and the giants.
2
The God Apollo on the Eastern Frieze
Like no other deity on the altar, the god Apollo is
depicted as a noble man of ideal beauty, thus bearing
witness to the artistic mastery of Classical sculpture in
Greece.
3
The Titaness Phoebe
An impressive figure depicted on the southern
frieze, Phoebe is shown, with her daughter Asteria,
fighting an enormous giant with a torch, sword and lance.
4
Zeus in Battle
On the eastern frieze, the father of all the gods on
Mount Olympus fights three giants at the same time.
Zeus is armed for this battle with his most dangerous
weapons – thunder and lightning.
5
The Goddess Athena
The goddess Athena is also shown on the eastern
frieze, as a powerful figure of light who drags her
opponents to their deaths by their hair.
6
The Gods of the Sea
Three pairs of sea gods are depicted on the
staircase frieze (on the northern staircase): Doris and
Nereus, Oceanus and Tethys as well as Triton and
Amphitrite.
7
The Goddess Aphrodite
Victorious, the fighting goddess rises proudly above
two dead giants.
8
Statues of Women
16
Highlights