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BABYLON TO BERLIN & BEYOND: THE ISHTAR GATE IN THE PERGAMON MUSEUM AND AROUND THE WORLD Posted by Thomas Dowson | Photo Essays | 0 Berlin’s Pergamon Museum is known or its striking reconstructions of large architectural features. One of these, perhaps the most obvious as this is how the Museum acquired its name, is the Pergamon Altar – from the ancient city of the Pergamene Kingdom in modern-day Turkey. Another imposing reconstruction is the Ishtar gate from Babylon, the ancient Mesopotamian city in what is today Iraq. One of the striding lions from the Processional Way in Babylon, now in the Pergammon Museum, Berlin. One of the 'striding lions' from the Processional Way in Babylon, which is partially reconstructed in the Pergamon Museum, MuseumInsel, Berlin. The Ishtar Gate was the eighth gate to the inner city of Babylon. Thought to have been built around 575 BC during the reign of King Nebuchadnezzar II, the gate was dedicated to the Babylonian goddess Ishtar. Hence its name. As part of the city walls of Babylon, the Ishtar Gate was one of the original Seven Wonders of the World. In 1899 the German archaeologist Robert Koldewey began excavating at the city of Babylon. The finds from this excavation were then used to create a life-size construction of the Ishtar Gate, widely regarded as one of the most spectacular reconstructions in the history of archaeology. The reconstruction was completed in 1930 for the Pergamon Museum, on MuseumInsel in Berlin. A number of pieces from the Processional Way were sold to other museums, and these can be seen in 11 museums around the world. RECONSTRUCTED GATE FROM BABYLON The reconstructed Ishtar Gate in the Pergamon Museum, Berlin. The reconstructed front section of the Ishtar Gate. Dragons and Aurochs on the Ishtar Gate Dragons and Aurochs on the Ishtar Gate. The dedication text in cuneiform script Cuneiform script thought to be the ‘dedication plaque’. Close up of an auroch on the Ishtar Gate. Close up of one of the aurochs. A RECONSTRUCTED PROCESSIONAL WAY IN BERLIN Reconstruction of a portion of the Processional Way. Reconstruction of a portion of the Processional Way. A lion from the Processional Way, Babylon. One of the lions on the walls of the Processional Way. Close up of one of the lion's head on the Processional Way to the Ishtar Gate. A close up of a lion’s head, showing exquisite detail. The Ishar Gate is part of the Pergamon’s Ancient Near East Museum (Vorderasiatisches Museum), which has artefacts covering 6,000 years of prehistory from this area, including Mesopotamia, Syria, Anatolia. Many of these objects (over 270,000 of them) come from excavations at historically significant sites such as Babylon, Assur, Uruk and Habuba Kabira. Artefacts from Uruk include the earliest forms of writing – cuneiform script on clay tablets dating to about the fourth millennium BCE. Also in the Pergamon Museum: Market Gate from Miletus Pergamon Altar TICKETS & WALKING TOURS IN BERLIN For anyone visiting Berlin and the MuseumInsel we have detailed, up-to-date advice on which Museum Card or Pass to buy. For more suggestions of what to do in the city, there are over 500 hundred sightseeing tours and activities for Berlin, see the full list, or start with the following four selections: Powered by GetYourGuide. Become a partner. Disclaimer: Archaeology Travel receives a small commission if you purchase any ticket or activity you purchase through Get Your Guide. This does not mean you pay extra, the commission is taken out of the advertised fee, which is more often than not the best price available. THE ISHTAR GATE IN MUSEUMS AROUND THE WORLD Parts of the Ishtar Gate and the molded and glazed brick representations of Lions and other animals from Babylon’s Processional Way, can be seen in other museums around the world. LOUVRE, PARIS ORIENTAL INSTITUTE MUSEUM, CHICAGO Read more … YALE UNIVERSITY ART GALLERY, NEW HAVEN Read more … Striding lion from Babylon's Processional Way, now in the Art Gallery of Yale University. Istanbul Archaeology Museum, Istanbul Website Detroit Institute of Arts, Detroit Website Röhsska Museum, Gothenburg Website State Museum of Egyptian Art, Munich Website Royal Ontario Museum, Toronto Metropolitan Museum of Art, New York Two striding lions from the Processional Way are on permanent display at the Me: Read more, one and two. Museum of Fine Arts, Boston Rhode Island School of Design Museum, Rhode Island Read More …