The Oriental Institute of the University of Chicago houses a world-renowned collection of artifacts from ancient Syria, Israel, Persia, Anatolia, Egypt, Nubia, and Mesopotamia. On this website, visitors can explore some of these artifacts up close while also learning more about the history of this important region. Visitors should first visit "Life in Mesopotamia" to learn more about the...

As home to one of the oldest civilizations in the world, the nation of Iraq has some of the most important archaeological museums and institutes, many of which have suffered irreparable damage during the war in that country. In order to help with the recovery efforts, the University of Chicago's esteemed Oriental Institute has created this website which contains a number of very useful resources,...

The Virtual Museum of Iraq starts with a great dramatic video of a map of Iraq and then the camera steadily zooms in to reveal an actual aerial view of Iraq's lands and cities, then again to reveal the museum building's front doors. It's a neat journey, accompanied by some nice music. The museum is divided up into eight halls, some of which are "Prehistoric", "Babylonian", "Parthian and...