Name ______________________________ Core _________ Date ________________________
Treasures, Back Together
The works are full
of cracks, like jigsaw puzzles. But museum officials
are thrilled that they are whole again.
"No one could have imagined several years ago
that this exhibition would be possible," said Michael
Eissenhauer. He is the director of Berlin's state
museums. "Tell Halaf had been forgotten. It was
thought to be certain that the pieces [that] disappeared
in 1943 were [forever] lost."
The modern-day story of the sculptures began
when German archaeologist Max von Oppenheim led
excavations at the Tell Halaf site between 1911 and
BERLIN, Germany At a museum in Berlin,
1913. Oppenheim first put the figures on display in
Germany, visitors can see representations of ancient
Berlin in 1930 at a private museum. But a few years
gods and fantastical creatures that date back 3,000
later, World War II broke out. Numerous bombings
years. The creations were part of a palace that was
destroyed much of Europe; the museum and its
built by a tribal prince in what is now Tell Halaf, Syria.
contents were among the casualties. The 3,000-year-
The relics are enormous and impressive. There are
old relics were shattered into thousands of pieces in
basalt statues of giant mythical creatures that once
1943. Oppenheim arranged for the rubble to be
guarded the entrance and stone relief panels that lined
salvaged and stored in hopes of one day recreating the
the outer walls. In the early 20th century, after these
sculptures. However, it would be decades after
items were dug up, they were treasured as souvenirs
Oppenheim's death in 1946 before that dream was
from the ancient past. A few decades later, however,
realized.
they were shattered during a war. The works of art are
One obstacle to the reconstruction was the Cold
now on display. This effort was made possible by
War. That was a conflict between forces of democracy
experts who spent years carefully reconstructing the
and forces of communism. The Cold War lasted from
sculptures, piece by piece.
the end of World War II in 1945 to the early 1990s.
About 40 of the reconstructed figures opened to
After World War II, Germany was divided into East
the public at Berlin's Pergamon Museum in January
Germany (which had a communist government) and
2011. These included a pair of lions that once bared
West Germany (which had a democratic government).
their teeth at the entrance of the palace, figures of a
Berlin, too, was divided, since it sat along the line that
sphinx and a griffin (two mythical creatures that could
divided the two halves. The rubble of the museum lay
have the body of a lion and the head and wings of a
across the Cold War divide from the collection's
bird), and a female figure from a monumental grave.
owner, the Max von Oppenheim Foundation. Only in
the 1990s, after Germany became whole again, did
reassemble some of the items because the pieces were
officials start examining whether the sculptures might
just too damaged.
be restored. About 25,000 of the 27,000 fragments of
The resulting exhibition, "The Tell Halaf
rubble were reassembled with the help of Oppenheim's
Adventure," will be open until August 2011 and
photo documentation of the excavation site. The
includes palettes of the remaining rubble. Eventually,
restoration took about a decade. Experts were unable to
all the statues, reliefs, and pieces will be put into the
museum's permanent collection.
Dictionary
1. casualty (noun) a victim of an accident
2. communism (noun) political system in which all property belongs to the government and profits are
shared by all
3. excavation (noun) removing dirt from a site, often where objects from the past might be found
4. comply (verb) to obey
5. restoration (noun) when something is put back the way it was before
Multiple Choice: Circle the letter of the choice the best completes the statement. (2 points each)
1. Based on information in the article, which of these
must have happened third?
A. Archaeologist Max von Oppenheim excavated
a number of 3,000-year-old statues.
B. The Cold War began a long conflict between
communist and democratic governments.
C. Archaeologist Max von Oppenheim put a
collection of artwork on display in Berlin.
D. World War II broke out and numerous
bombings destroyed much of Europe.
2. What is this article mainly about?
A. Max von Oppenheim was careful to protect his
artwork from damage during wartime.
B. Some pieces of the Tell Halaf statues were too
damaged to put back together.
C. Works of art dating back 3,000 years were
rebuilt and are now on display.
D. A palace with giant statues of creatures was
built 3,000 years ago in what is now Syria.
3. The reader can infer from the article that ________.
A. Max von Oppenheim wanted the statues to be
split up and displayed at modern castles.
B. Max von Oppenheim felt the works of art were
important to reconstruct and preserve.
C. Max von Oppenheim felt that the statues should
be hidden from public view.
D. Max von Oppenheim thought it was necessary
that the works of art go back to Syria.
4. Which is the closest synonym for the word relic?
A. Dwelling
B. Artifact
C. Portfolio
D. Slogan
5. This article would be most useful as a source for a
student research project on __________.
A. The impact of the Cold War on Europe
B. Major archaeological restorations
C. The causes and effects of World War II
D. Significant events in Germany history
6. The article states: The 3,000-year-old relics were
shattered into thousands of pieces in 1943. Oppenheim
arranged for the rubble to be salvaged and stored in
hopes of one day recreating the sculptures.
Which would be the closest synonym for the word
salvaged?
A. Discarded
B. Engraved
C. Scoured
D. Recovered
7. Which question is not answered by the article?
A. Where were the restored Tell Halaf sculptures
placed on display?
B. How long did it take to recreate the artwork
from thousands of pieces?
C. How did experts figure out how to put the
artwork back together?
D. What did Oppenheim do in his lifetime, other
than find the Tell Halaf artwork?
8. The author probably wrote this article to _________.
A. Describe the people who lived in Syria 3,000
years ago
B. Convince the reader that the Tell Halaf artwork
is worth seeing
C. Share the process that led to the current display
of the Tell Halaf artwork
D. Explain why museums in parts of Germany
were bombed during a war
Opinion Question: Now that you have read the article, indicate in the space below whether you agree or
disagree with this statement. How important was it to put the statues and other items from Tell Halaf back together?
(5 points)
Thought Question: In the space below write a summary of today's article. (5 points)