We explore the history of knowledge, beginning with the emergence of knowledge as embodied in artifacts, especially in notation systems and writing. Our current focus is on the ancient world of the Mediterranean, extending from the Near East into Central Asia and beyond and spanning the period from the earliest stages of human activity into the first millennium of our era.

In contrast to traditional approaches to the history of science, which emphasize the so-called exact sciences, the history of knowledge encompasses a much broader range of fields and disciplines. In our conception, all forms of knowledge are considered: This includes both learned disciplines such as medicine, mathematics, jurisprudence, mythology, astrology, and omens, as well as all areas of practical knowledge which are visible in the historical or archaeological record.

In line with this approach, all forms of knowledge, including disciplines that are readily dismissed as unscientific today (e.g., physiognomy, divination, and alchemy), are to be investigated on equal terms in their own societal contexts using state-of-the-art methods, without making judgements based on modern categories of evaluation.

The profoundly complex instruments of scientific thought that emerged in different regions and periods have been, so far, frequently studied and evaluated in isolation. The History of Knowledge in the Ancient World (Wissensgeschichte des Altertums), however, aims to highlight the points of contact and the functional commonalities between technical and scientific bodies of knowledge from different times and places, while at the same time identifying the disciplinary subcultures that developed around them.

The Institute traces its founding to Markham J. Geller's time at Freie Universität Berlin as a Professor of the History of Knowledge (2009-2019), and in particular to the research project BabMed-Babylonian Medicine (2013-1018), which was supported by an Advanced Grant from the European Research Council.