Babylon at the Pergamon, Berlin, September 19, 2008
Probably never been as well-prepared for an exhibition, and it was worth it! “Babylon, Truth and Myth” to call it by its full name, is an exhibition that is held in cooperation between the Louvre in Paris, the British Museum in London and the Pergamon in Berlin over the year (the Louvre earlier this year, the British Museum, later), but it is at the Pergamon that it is the most elaborated, partly because some of the artefacts residing here are not movables (think of the reconstituted, grandeur nature, Ishtar gate), and partly because of the particularly active German archaeological works that were done in the late 19th century, early 20th century (the Germans has a close relationship with the Ottoman empire at the time, thus having privileged access to sites). In effect the exhibition is different from one place to the other, sharing some of the artefacts or copies of them, and organized somewhat differently (the Louvre was chronological, Berlin is organised by theme, and London something else). I had spotted the exhibition several months ago in the Economist (who described it as “a formidable exhibition designed to reconcile Babylonian history and legend: appreciating (Babylonian accomplishments) fully, however, usually means travelling to the Louvre in Paris, the Pergamon Museum in Berlin and the British Museum in London, the three places where the major discoveries from Babylonian civilisation are housed. For a while, this is no longer necessary. It is on show in Paris until June 2nd. It moves to Berlin from June 26th to October 5th and will then be in London from November 13th until March 15th 2009. The organisers claim there has never been an exhibition like it); I had then decided to see it in Berlin if at all possible. We had prepared by reading (fully, in the case of Cynthia!) Johan Oates’ classic opus Babylon (revised edition 1986, Thames & Hudson, London), surfing the net for historical bits and pieces, and lately by listening to the 18-hour, 36 lectures given by Prof. Alexis Q. Castor, Between the Rivers: The History of Ancient Mesopotamia (courtesy of The Learning Company), taking advantage of a long drive to Quebec and back a week or so before to listen to most of them.
The exhibition was everything we had hoped for. We had booked a private tour, which turned out to be a real bonus, as otherwise we could not have covered so thoroughly the exhibition in the limited time we had, plus the fact that the guide, Andreas Knuppel, spent twice as much time with us than that was bargained for! Very good mix, from the monumental – the Ishtar gate and the Procession Way “grandeur nature” – to the minute – all these small clay tablets with microscopic cuneiforms – including the tall basalt column on which is written the Code of Hammurabi (a replica, as the original located at the Louvre was deemed too fragile to be moved), focussing on Gods and Kings, but also on Agriculture and Trade, and day-to-day life.
The most original part of the exhibition is definitely the Myth section, an original attempt at depicting how Babylon has led to various interpretations throughout history, ranging from the recuperation by Judaism of the Jews’ Captivity in Babylon (caused by Nebuchadnezzar the Second, at the end of the 6th century B.C. who destroyed Solomon’s temple in Jerusalem and deported most of the population of Israel to Babylonia) as rendered in the Bible (the “literary revenge” as our guide called it, and concept that struck so much Cynthia), to all the myths surrounding the Babel Tower (which did exist but was not round as first depicted by Peter Brueghel the Elder), to modern-day Saddam Hussein who tried to connect his reign to a revival of the old Babylonian era, including music – remember the celebrated Verdi’s Nabuccho (1842), then Rivers of Babylon (The Melodians), and reggae’s Babylon System & Babylon by Bus (Bob Marley) in the 70’s) Fascinating; supported by paintings from various masters throughout the years (not the Brueghel though that sits somewhere in Vienna) and included a few minutes of D.W. Griffith silent film masterpiece “Intolerance” showing the fall of Babylon with city walls on fire and people being thrown off their height. Most of the myths evolved around the perception that Babylon was the epitome of decadence, sinful and perverse, that was ultimately punished with its destruction because of its excesses (Martin Luther compared the Rome of his day with ancient Babylon). History has a more sedated, probably more accurate, view of things.
All in all, a unique experience. Would have like to bring back the exhibition album, a crushing 2-volume piece, but only available in German, which would have been very frustrating experience to “look” at pictures without being able to read! It is interesting to reconnect with a civilization that is actually the cradle of mankind. We tend to forget or ignore that fact, a civilisation that goes back 6000 to 4000 years before Christ, where agriculture development a thousand years B.C. was as advanced as it was in Europe in the 19th century A.D! History and the world never cease to fascinate!
We were in Berlin less than 24 hours – my 4th visit in 2 years or so – the second for Cynthia. Stayed at Hackescher Mark Hotel, a nice boutique hotel, very close to Museum Island and the Pergamon. Had good lunch at nearby Hashir, a Turkish restaurant dating back to 1970 but fully refurbished (remember, we are in old East Berlin). Turkish restaurants are numerous in Berlin; no wonder: was told later on that Berlin is the 3rd largest “Turkish” city in the world!
