Pergamon Museum houses artifacts from Pergamon, an ancient Greek and later Roman city in what is now Turkey. In the 1880’s a German archaeologist came across workers breaking down marble columns and carvings to use as fuel. He made arrangements with the Ottomans to excavate the site and share the finds. The most fabulous find was the Pergamon Altar (180–160 BCE). It is a frieze depicting the Olympian gods fighting giants. This and other monumental and daily life aspects of Pergamon are the subject of a 50 meter high 360 ° panorama by Yadegar Asisi. The panorama can be viewed most dramatically from a five story staircase erected for the purpose. From the top the ceiling towers above and spreads out to near floor level.
As you view the various areas the sun moves overhead until night falls and the sun rises again.
The famous altar is visible but very difficult to photograph well, not that any of it was easy for non-professionals . The relief was vividly painted when first complete. They show it that way.
The altar is a scene of animal sacrifices and burning fires. People congregate for leisure activities or work. A slave market is on-going. The crowd murmurs in the background. Trajan is visiting.
Gary-Bob says check it out- even if there nothing else to see in Berlin, this alone would make the journey worthwhile.
