Situated in pride of place in Berlin's Museum Island is a sensational collection of ancient architecture on a massive scale.
The Altar of Pergamon itself, a huge set of steps surrounded by statues, was originally in the ancient Greek city in Aeolis and was believed to be dedicated to Zeus. It is a surprisingly peaceful spot to sit on the steps and imagine yourself back in ancient times, even with hordes of tourists surrounding you.
The Roman marketplace gate, one of the largest displays in a museum in the world, is immense in its scale and belies its purpose as the entrance to a simple market.
Roman Marketplace Gate
Ishtar Gate
The deep blue coloured Ishtar gates from Babylon are immense and impressive, but even more so when you realise that they are only the small entry gates and the larger main gates - shown in the scale model would tower over them - and be way too big to fit in the museum. You can also see the processional walkway that is reproduced with lions flanking you on the walls and which would lead from the city to the temple
Scale model of the Ishtar gate and Processional way
The guardians shown here are actually reproductions from the originals in the British Museum. They are certainly impressive, though and lead through to more ancient sculptures which were decoration from historical buildings around the world.
Guardians
