This volume celebrates the 50th anniversary of the Institute of Near Eastern Archaeology at the Ludwig Maximilian University of Munich. It draws on archival records, research and administrative data, but above all on the memories of its members since its foundation in 1970. The history of the Institute, teaching experiences and research achievements are the three interwoven cornerstones between which the contributions move. The lively picture of a community of practitioners is at the same time an appreciation of the past and an advertisement for a further examination of the "cradle of cultures". edited by A. Otto, K. Kaniuth