This showcase exhibition at the Neues Museum is dedicated to one of the first animals to be domesticated by humans: the donkey.The particular significance of this widely underestimated grey animal in the contexts of Ancient Egypt and Mesopotamia is presented here from a range of different perspectives, ultimately revealing one key detail: the donkey was utterly indispensable in the ancient world.

Donkeys are often characterised as stubborn, stupid, lazy and obstinate – a perception that is reflected in sayings like “stubborn as a mule”, or in the pejorative use of the term “donkey” to describe a stupid or inept person. However, these stereotypes are misguided and are very often rooted in misinterpretations of the animal’s behaviour. In reality, donkeys are intelligent, loyal, self-reliant and attentive animals. But what role did the donkey play in the ancient world, in which contexts does it appear, and what kinds of qualities did people living in those times associate with it?

The Indispensable Donkey

The donkey has played an important role in the cultures of both Egypt and Mesopotamia since time immemorial and continues to characterise the agricultural landscape of these regions to this day. The animal is valued above all as a tireless beast of burden, given that it is capable of travelling great distances without needing any food.

While they were of particular importance in civilian life, donkeys were also deployed in a military context, where they not only acted as reliable pack animals that were responsible for transporting provisions and equipment, but also had a calming effect on the army’s agitated horses thanks to their placid nature.

The exhibition features texts outlining the purposes for which donkeys were used, how much they were sold for, and how they could be acquired. Donkeys were highly valued, and a person caught stealing one faced harsh punishment. Yet in the majority of depictions of the animals, they tend to be represented as submissive, and it becomes clear that they were not always treated so favourably by humans. The donkey also featured in a religious context, but more often than not carried negative connotations due to its being associated with the (evil) god Set.

Illustrated World of Donkeys

The exhibition is subdivided into a series of differently themed areas, all of which showcase the donkey’s various functions in the ancient world. What value was the donkey afforded? Which of the animal’s qualities received the most attention? What was the donkey’s significance in the worlds of religion, the military and agriculture?

A selection of artefacts from the Ägyptisches Museum und Papyrussammlung and the Vorderasiatisches Museum provide wide-ranging insight into the world of the donkey. These include terracotta sculptures and illustrations of donkeys, as well as several texts explaining how the animals were purchased and utilised by humans. The exhibition is complemented by a selection of large-scale renderings of donkeys from temples and tombs, as well as contemporary photographs.

A reading corner and an interactive hub are also on hand, where visitors can discover more – and even try to lift the same load as a donkey.

Curatorial Team

The exhibition is curated by Olivia Zorn, Marius Gerhardt, Rebekka Pabst and Jessica Knebel, research assistants at the Ägyptisches Museum und Papyrussammlung, in collaboration with Andrea Valsecchi Gillmeister and Nadja Cholidis, research assistants at the Vorderasiatisches Museum.

Publication

The exhibition will be accompanied by a lavishly illustrated catalogue that will be available for purchase.

A special exhibition of the Ägyptisches Museum und Papyrussammlung and the Vorderasiatisches Museum of the Staatliche Museen zu Berlin