Opening Date: February 19, 2026
War has been a constant presence in human existence—especially in the history of our region. For millennia, we have narrated our stories and forged our identities through conflict, power struggles, and conquest. This exhibition invites us to consider war not merely as historical event, but as profound human experience, examining fundamental questions through formative stories from our past.
The Battle of Kadesh, fought between Egypt and the Hittites in 13th-century BCE Syria, challenges us to ask: what does victory mean, and who gets to define it? The mass deportation policies of the Assyrian kings in the 8th and 7th centuries BCE turn our attention to those displaced and defeated by imperial conquest. The Trojan War, from the Greek tradition of the 8th century BCE, confronts us with suffering and grief on both sides of the battlefield. The proclamations of Rome’s imperial rulers raise questions about the relationship between war and peace, while ancient symbols of peace continue to echo humanity’s enduring hope for an end to struggle and bloodshed.
Through the lens of history, this exhibition creates space for reflection on war and its consequences—touching on moral, human, and cultural questions that remain urgent in our own time.
Special Events Surrounding the Exhibition:
Event Series: “How Do We Tell War?” | Gallery Talks in the Exhibition | Lectures & Film Screenings
