With its more than 6,000 years of history, Akhmîm is one of the oldest cities in Egypt. Today, only a few archaeological remains of the once large temples and extensive necropoleis bear witness to the long period of settlement in antiquity. The true treasure trove of statues, reliefs, everyday objects, cult implements, coffins, burial objects, and written testimonies is scattered in museums around the world, a significant part at the Staat­liche Museen zu Berlin. The idea for the exhibition and accompanying publication arose from a cooperation with the Mîn Panos project at the University of Göttingen, which is dedicated to the material culture of Akhmîm and its surroundings. For the first time, selected objects from this region from around the world are brought together and illuminated from various aspects. The cultural and political role of the city, its influence as a religious centre, its importance as the birthplace of famous histor­ical figures in Egyptian history, and its long tra­dition in craftsmanship are traced and rounded off by an overview of the history of research up to the present day.
About the Author: Elsabeth Ehler was born 1977 in Gießen, 1996-2002 studied art history, archaeology, and catholic theology in Marburg, 2008 doctors degree, worked for the benedictine monastery in Admont, Austria, was involved in several projects and exhibitions of the Staatliche Museen zu Berlin, curator of the exhibition "Akhmim - Egypts forgotten city. Cäcilia Fluck: born 1963 in Dülmen, 1982-1991 study of archaeology and egyptology at the University of Münster (Germany) and Leuven (Belgium), 1991 doctors degree, 1991/92 academic assistant at the University of Münster, 1993-96 academic employee at the Museum für Byzantinische Kunst, Berlin, 1996/97 lectureship at the Humboldt-University, Berlin, 1996 co-founder of the international working group "Textiles from the Nile Valley," 1997-2000 freelancer at the Museum für Byzantinische Kunst, Berlin, the University of Münster, the Gustav-Lübcke-Museum Hamm, and the collection Katoen Natie Antwerpen. Anne Herzberg-Beiersdorf has a dissertational degree in Egyptology, Freie Universität Berlin, 07.2012 Master degree in Egyptology, Freie Universität Berlin, 05.2009 Bachelor degree in Ancient Studies and Egyptology, Freie Universität Berlin, SINCE 02.2021 Research Associate at the Department for Archaeology, Archaeology and Cultural History of Northeast Africa at Humboldt-Universität zu Berlin, 11.2019-02.2021 Research assistant at the Egyptian Museum and Papyrus Collection of the Staatliche Museen zu Berlin. Olivia Zorn is an Egyptologist, Curator, and Deputy Director of the Egyptian Museum and Papyrus Collection Berlin, 1971 born in Cologne, 1990-1996 Studies of Egyptology, Classical Archaeology, and Ancient Oriental Philology, Magister Artium, 1996-2001 Doctoral Study in Egyptology, PhD, 1996-1999 Student assistance in the project "Dictonary of Demotic Names," Qualification in ancient Egyptian, Latin, ancient Greek, and Biblical Hebrew, 1997, 1998, 1999 Free-lanced work in the Egyptian Museum Munich, 2000 Excavation Campaign in Bubastis, Upper Egypt.