Syro-Anatolian Gallery

The Henrietta Herbolsheimer, M.D. Syro-Anatolian Gallery traces the cultures of ancient Türkiye and Syria back to the earliest Neolithic stone figures. Monumental sculpture and architectural elements of the Iron Age (ca. 800 BCE) city of Tell Tayinat complement a chronological display of ceramics, cylinder seals, and tools from the Amuq Valley that span millennia. The gallery also explores metallurgy and mining in Anatolia, including the oldest known bronze figurines (3400–2750 BCE). Other highlights are Hittite pottery, Syro-Anatolian luxury goods (jewelry, libation bowls, and cosmetic containers), and a display on the development of the alphabet in Anatolia and examples of the hieroglyphic Luwian script. ISAC’s Hittite-Anatolian Expedition (1927–32) and Syrian-Hittite Expedition (1931–38) excavated most of the artifacts on display in this gallery.