Max von Oppenheim and the discovery of Tell Halaf

Baron Max von Oppenheim, a diplomat and the son of a Cologne banking family, was fascinated by Eastern cultures. He collected artefacts and in 1899, accidentally discovered the residence of an Aramaean ruler at Tell Halaf, on the border of modern-day Syria and Turkey. From 30 April to 10 August 2014, the Art and Exhibition Hall of the Federal Republic of Germany in Bonn is showing a selection of items from Oppenheim's private collection as well as some of his spectacular archaeological discoveries. By Kristina Reyman. More ...