Mesopotamia: Kingdom of Gods and Demons

The Museum of Fine Arts, Budapest, in collaboration with the Hungarian Academy of Sciences – Eötvös Loránd University Momentum, Neo-Assyrian and Neo-Babylonian Cylinder Seals and Divine World Research Group, is organising a temporary exhibition aimed at presenting the heritage and culture of ancient Mesopotamia, the cradle of civilisation, which sprouted the roots of the Bible and indirectly of European culture. The exhibition on ancient Mesopotamia features a range of works that have never been shown together before. The relics of a few ancient civilisations can still be visited today, for example in Athens, Rome, and Egypt, but the Mesopotamian heritage can only be seen in museums. This forthcoming exhibition brings together more than 150 objects loaned by seven prominent European collections, offering unparalleled insight into the world of this long-lost culture. Several pieces are works of symbolic significance to ancient Mesopotamia or key features in albums on art, or have never previously been loaned by their institutions. We hope that our show will be of immense value not only to experts on the ancient Near East, but to anyone with an interest in art, literature, and religion.