The Institute for Near Eastern Archaeology was founded in 1948 with the appointment of Anton Moortgat to Freie Universität in Berlin. It is the oldest institution for this discipline in Germany and since 1980 the only one that has been permanently endowed with two chairs. Lecturers of all academic ranks are entrusted with teaching at the Institute.

Thanks to these facilities, the curricula and goals of study are ambitious. Geographically, the scope of work extends over Turkey, Syria, Lebanon, Jordan, Iraq, the Persian Gulf, Saudi Arabia and Yemen, Iran, Georgia, Armenia, Afghanistan, and Pakistan. Chronologically, it encompasses the span of time from the beginnings of the sedentarization of humans to the Islamic conquests, a total of around 10,000 years. Taken together, this expansive field is known by the term the ancient Near East.