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Orient Department

The Orient Department of the German Archaeological Institute was founded in 1996. It has its central office in Berlin and maintains outposts in Baghdad, Damascus and Sanaa. It works closely with local institutions in host countries, benefiting political and cultural relations in the process.
The scientific undertakings of the Department concentrate on the region of the Near East south of Turkey and west of Iran. They include archaeological surveys and excavations, often in cooperation with geo-archaeological research institutes. The chronological spectrum of its projects stretches from prehistoric to Islamic times. Its main foci are the investigation of early civilizations and Greek and Roman Antiquities within its domain.

 
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Library

The library holds ca. 24,000 volumes, 101 journals, focus: Near Eastern archaeology, Assyriology, Islamic and Arabic Studies. It is a chained library with a limited usership. 

Photo Archives

Ca. 20,000 B/W prints and slides. The focus is on the photographic documentation of a number of excavation projects. 

Archives / Collections

Excavation documentation is kept in the archives of the Orient Department, along with the bequests of a number of important academics in the fields of Near Eastern Antiquities and Islamic Art History. 

Publications

The Orient Department oversees the publication of several publications that are produced partially in Berlin and partially in the Damascus and Sanaa. Baghdader Mitteilungen and Damaszener Mitteilungen appear yearly. Other serial publications in the fields of Mesopotamia - Baghdader Forschungen -, the northern Levant - Damaszener Forschungen - , southern Arabia - Archäogische Berichte aus dem Yemen - and the general work of the Orient Department - Orient-Archäologie - appear irregularly. Epigraphische Forschungen auf der arabischen Halbinsel form an own series and Ausgrabungen in Uruk-Warka, Endberichte will be published as a further series. 

50 years of research in Iraq 1955-2005
Ausgrabungen der Deutschen Forschungsgemeinschaft in Uruk-Warka
Ausgrabungen in Uruk-Warka, Endberichte
Baghdader Forschungen
Baghdader Mitteilungen
Der Crac des Chevaliers
Dr. Arnold Nöldeke, Briefe aus Uruk-Warka 1931-1939
Epigraphische Forschungen auf der Arabischen Halbinsel
Orient-Archäologie
Zeitschrift für Orient-Archäologie

Further Activities and Projects

Jordan
The German Archaeological Institute has been active in Jordan since 1987. Research has been carried out since then in close cooperation with the German Evangelical Institute for the Study of Antiquities in the Holy Land. Since 1998 and 1999, fieldwork has also been done in conjunction with the University of Jordan in Amman and Yarmouk University in Irbid. Besides its field research, the Orient Department is also involved in various scientific events in Jordan which are organised together with local institutions.

Lebanon
The Orient Department has been involved in Projects in Lebanon since 1997. These projects are managed from Berlin, as there is no local branch. Cultural connections to the eastern parts of the Fertile Crescent (northern Syria, Iraq) and the role of Phoenician ports as intermediaries between the cultures of the Near East and 'Antiquity' are the principal themes for archaeological research. The results of projects in Lebanon are published in the 'Orient-Archäologie' series.

Oman
Die Orient-Abteilung des Deutschen Archäogischen Instituts führt verschiedene archäogische Untersuchungen im Sultanat Oman durch und fördert die Publikation von Forschungsergebnissen in ihren Reihen Orient-Archäologie und ihrer Zeitschrift Baghdader Mitteilungen. Vorträge von internationalen Wissenschaftlern im Orienthaus des DAI zu Archäologie und Ethnologie des Sultanats Oman geben der Öfentlichkeit die Möglichkeit, sich über die Situation im Land und den Forschungsstand zu informieren.

Türkei
Die seit 1995 von der Abteilung Istanbul und dem Museum Sanliurfa unternommenen Ausgrabungen am Gürcütepe und am Göbekli Tepe werden seit 2001 in Zusammenarbeit mit der Orient-Abteilung durchgeführt. Der am östlichen Stadtrand von Urfa gelegene Gürcütepe verkörpert den Typ einer spät-frühneolithischen Talsiedlung, wie sie im oberen und mittleren Euphratraum häufig anzutreffen ist. Das 15km im Nordosten der Stadt gelegene Bergheiligtum des Göbekli Tepe bildet hier einen auffälligen Gegensatz. Hier scheinen Standortfaktoren wie Ackerland und Wasser bedeutungslos, die landschaftsbeherrschende Lage und die monumentalen Bauanlagen weisen zusammen mit vielen anderen Beobachtungen auf eine hervorgehobene Stellung dieses Platzes. .

Music Archaeology
Since 1998 the Orient Department is collaborating with the International Study Group on Music Archaeology

Calendar of Events

The Orient Department organises international congresses, interdisciplinary colloquia and smaller working fora at regular intervals, both in Berlin and at the Damascus and Sanaa outposts.
Also see the general Events Diary

Address

German Archaeological Institute
Orient Department
Podbielskiallee 69-71
14195 Berlin Berlin
Tel.: +49-(0)1888-7711-0
Fax: +49-(0)1888-7711-189
E-Mail: orient@dainst.de

Staff

Go to Employees 

Branches

Baghdad Branch of the Orient Department
Sana'a Branch of the Orient Department
Damascus Branch of the Orient Department

Current Projects

Archaeological research at the oasis of Tayma, Saudi Arabia "The Archaeology of the Oasis Tayma: Continuity and Change of Subsistence in the arid north-western region of the Arabian Peninsula from the Neolithic to Islamic periods" is a joint-project of the General Commission for Tourism and Antiquities, Riyadh, and the German Archaeological Institute, Berlin. Regular seasons of excavation have been conducted since 2004.
 
Die Archäometallurgie des Sinai, Ägypten Ein interdisziplinäres Gemeinschaftsprojekt zur Untersuchung der Frühen Kupfermetallurgie im Sinai und der Kupferversorgung des prädynastischen Ägyptens. Ziel ist eine Neubewertung des archäometallurgischen Potenzials im Sinai.
 
Jordan, Aqaba - Tall al-Magass Tall al- Magass, Hujayrat al-Ghuzlan und Wadi Yitim (ASEYM-Projekt, Aqaba-Region): Ausgrabungen und Surveys in chalkolithischen und frühbronzezeitlichen Ruinen
 
Jordan, Aqaba - Tall Hujayrat al-Ghuzlan The excavations at the Late Chalcolithic - Early Bronze Age Site Tall Hujayrat al-Ghuzlan are part of the ASEYM-project (Archaeological Survey and Excavation in the Yitim and Magass Area - Aqaba). As a joint project of the Department of Archaeology of the Jordan University, Amman, and the Orient Department of the German Archaeological Institute, Berlin, archaeological surveys and excavations have been carried out in the Aqaba-region since 1998, that have focussed on it's prehistoric occupation.<br> <br>
 
Jordanien, Gadara (Umm Qais) Bauhistorische Untersuchungen zur hellenistisch-römischen Dekapolisstadt Gadara.
 
Jordanien, Tell Khanasri Das Projekt wird von der Orient-Abteilung des Deutschen Archäologischen Instituts betreut.
 
Jordanien, Tell Khanasri, Region
 
Lebanon, Baalbek The urban planning and historical development of the Roman sanctuary of Baalbek. 5000 years of history in the city, a World Heritage Site since 1984.
 
Lebanon, Baalbek Museum In November 1998 a permanent exhibition was inaugurated for the event of the 100th anniversary of the visit of the German emperor Wilhelm II to Baalbek. The project is under the auspices of the Orient Department of the German Archaeological Institute.
 
Lebanon, Baalbek-Douris Several sarcophagi were discovered, that were part of a large necropolis dating probably to the Roman imperial period or to the beginning of late antiquity (3./4. c. AD).
 
Lebanon, Tell Burak The excavations of Tell Burak aim at investigating a Bronze and Iron Age settlement on the coast of Lebanon. Occasional finds from the site suggested that new light could be shed on the culture of the Phoenician homeland.
 
Oasensiedlungen in Nord- und Nordwestarabien Im Rahmen der Clusterforschungen des Instituts untersucht die Orient-Abteilung in Kooperation mit der General Commission for Tourism and Antiquities, Riad, seit 2007 Oasensiedlungen mit dem Ziel, die Siedlungs- und Umweltgeschichte der Region zu rekonstruieren. Die thematischen Schwerpunkte sind 'Innovation: technisch/sozial' (Cluster 2, Teilprojekt Wasser) und 'Organisation politischer Räume' (Cluster 3).
 
Oman: Transformation Processes in Oasis Settlements in Oman The cooperation project 'Transformation Processes in Oasis Settlements in Oman' deals with the origin, development and future of the Omani oasis settlements in an interdisciplinary approach. It started in 1999 will be supported by the German Research Foundation until 2008.
 
x. completed project: Turkey, Gürcütepe Eine Talsiedlung des späten Frühneolithikums in der Südosttürkei
 
   
   
 
 

updated: 09/05/2009

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