Exhibition: Elephantine – Island of the Millennia

Elephantine – Island of the Millennia is the first comprehensive exhibition on Elephantine displaying outstanding objects from Berlin’s collection alongside highlights from around the world. The island of Elephantine in the Nile in southern Egypt was a trading and frontier center and home to a uniquely diverse, multilingual, multicultural, and multi-religious population. Only at this unique location can cultural history be relived thanks to written sources spanning a period of 4000 years. The manifold contents of the texts are contextualized by archaeological finds and interpreted by contemporary artists.

What can we learn today from the past of this cosmopolitan island? In dialogue with AGYA members current perspectives have been developed for the exhibition. 

Elephantine – Island of the Millennia was jointly created with Ägyptisches Museum und Papyrussammlung – Staatliche Museen zu Berlin and the Egyptian Ministry of Tourism and Antiquities. 

Exhibition dates: 26.04.2024 - 27.10.2024

Lecture Series on the Exhibition
Auditorium of the James-Simon-Galerie, Museumsinsel Berlin

• 16 May, 6 p.m. – Ein neuer Liebesbrief des Mittleren Reiches
  Dr. Daniela Luft
   
• 04 June, 7 p.m. – Interdisziplinäre Ägyptologie – Das virtuelle Entblättern von Papyri
  Prof. Dr. Heinz-Eberhard Mahnke, Dr. Daniel Baum, Prof. Dr. Verena Lepper
   
• 20 June, 6 p.m. – Ein demotisches Highlight aus Elephantine
  PD Dr. Jan Moje
   
• 02 July, 7 p.m. – Die Entwicklung der Stadt Elephantine – Ein Überblick
  Dr. Cornelius von Pilgrim
   
• 18 July, 6 p.m. – Klein aber fein. Griechische Ostraka aus Elephantine
  Dr. Marius Gerhardt
   
• 06 August, 7 p.m. – Last Exit Elephantine – Eine Grenzstadt zwischen Alltag und Ereignisgeschichte
  Prof. Dr. Dietrich Raue
   
• 03 September, 7 p.m. – Die Tempelbibliotheken in Elephantine?
  Prof. Dr. Joachim Quack
   
• 19 September, 6 p.m. – Decoding Egypt's Past – Die nächsten 4000 Jahre Elephantine-Papyri
  Sandro Schwarz, Prof. Dr. Verena Lepper
   
• 01 October, 7 p.m. – Smell Molecules are the Alphabet of the Air – Elephantine ganz anders
  Sissel Tolaas
   
• 17 October, 6 p.m. – Papyri aus Elephantine. Beobachtungen aus der Restaurierungswerkstatt
  Dr. Sophie Breternitz
   
• 25 October, 6 p.m. – Festive Finissage of the Exhibition