A remarkable number of disciplines dealing with ancient civilizations are concentrated in the Freie Universität Berlin (FUB). A total of around 20 subject areas are dedicated to research on the ancient world in the broadest sense; the distinctly archaeological orientation entails a close connection with the natural sciences, especially with a wealth of expertise in the geosciences in the areas of surveying and environmental reconstruction.

As early as 2004, the FUB had already consolidated its ancient studies expertise in the Interdisziplinäres Zentrum Alte Welt (IZAW), with a view to facilitating trans-disciplinary dialogue. This enabled the development of new research questions that were eventually integrated into the Excellence Cluster Topoi, questions whose further development and transmission now constitute an important educational goal of the Berliner Antike-Kolleg (BAK).

This factor, combined with the wealth of disciplines and the cooperation between the Berlin Graduate School of Ancient Studies (BerGSAS) and the Dahlem Research School (DRS), make the FUB one of the first choices for students and teachers in the fields of ancient studies.

The Humboldt-Universität zu Berlin (HU) has proven strengths in the fields of philosophy, theology, history of science and in research on the transformation of the ancient world. This research is always aimed at gaining an understanding of elements of ancient culture and thought that encompasses their influence on later epochs of European history. Major research topics include ancient worldviews, representations of the cosmos in ancient cultures and the spread of Christianity. Together with other subject areas, the disciplines named are represented in the HU’s August-Boeckh-Antikezentrum. The center was conceived as a platform for discussion, exchange and collective interdisciplinary work, as practiced in the Excellence Cluster Topoi and as the Berliner Antike-Kolleg (BAK) plans to continue practicing in its research and educational activities.

Theooperation with the Humboldt Graduate School (HGS) ensures that training of junior scholars at the Berlin Graduate School of Ancient Studies (BerGSAS) meets high quality standards.

Scholars of the Berlin-Brandenburgische Akademie der Wissenschaften (BBAW, Berlin-Brandenburg Academy of Sciences and Humanities) have engaged in research on Greek and Roman inscriptions, coins and ancient medical texts and pursued studies of the Egyptian language since the 19^th century. The Academy also possesses a unique editorial expertise that will enrich the work of the Berliner Antike-Kolleg (BAK). Many of the research projects in ancient studies initiated in the 19th century, such as the Inscriptiones Graecae, the Corpus Inscriptionum Latinarum (CIL), the Ancient Egyptian Dictionary and Turfan Studies are still thriving today, while new projects such as Corpus Coranicum and the Alexandrian and Antiochene biblical exegesis in late antiquity and Galen projects have recently been initiated.

In 2005, the academy consolidated its research projects in ancient studies into a single institution, the Zentrum Grundlagenforschung Alte Welt.

Its goal in cooperating with the BAK is to sharpen its research profile in ancient studies, while at the same time contributing to the education of junior scholars through Berlin Graduate School of Ancient Studies (BerGSAS):

The BBAW is engaged in the doctoral programs: Ancient Languages and Texts (ALT); Ancient Philosophie/History of Ancient Science (APhil/HistAS); Languages and Cultures of the Silk Road (Silk Road)

Since its founding in 1829, the Deutsche Archäologische Institut (DAI, German Archaeological Institute) has been a leading internationally active institution in the fields of archeology and ancient studies. Today, it is involved in research on five continents and its numerous departments and commissions maintain 15 offices in numerous countries. It enjoys excellent relations with research institutions in the countries of the Mediterranean region and in the region of the former Soviet Union, Asia, Africa and South America. The activities of the DAI staff serve both to further scholarship and to increase the accessibility of the cultural heritage of the respective countries. Thus, the DAI, falling as it does within the remit of the German Federal Foreign Office, plays an important role in the foreign policy of the Federal Republic of Germany in the areas of cultural relations and education.

Numerous DAI projects are pursued in the form of inter- and trans-disciplinary clusters, whose research frequently unites the humanities and natural sciences.

The DAI contributes its exceptional expertise in archaeological excavation and landscape reconstruction to the Berliner Antike-Kolleg (BAK), enriching the training of junior scholars through Berlin Graduate School of Ancient Studies (BerGSAS), as well as other aspects of the BAKs work.

The DAI is engaged in the doctoral programmes: Landscape Archaeology and Architecture (LAA); Languages and Cultures of the Silk Road (Silk Road)

The Max-Planck-Institut für Wissenschaftsgeschichte (MPIWG, Max Planck Institute for the History of Science) conducts research into how, in the course of centuries of interaction between the sciences and the surrounding cultures, new categories of thought, evidence and experience have evolved. One of the central research subjects is the globalization of knowledge, with individual projects encompassing several millennia and dealing with cultures from all parts of the globe. The projects extend from Babylonian mathematics to modern-day genetics, from the natural sciences of the Renaissance to the early days of quantum mechanics.

The institute views ancient studies research as a central area of the history of knowledge, an area that will be further explored through the institute’s involvement in the Berliner Antike-Kolleg (BAK) and the Berlin Graduate School of Ancient Studies (BerGSAS).

The MPIWG is engaged in the doctoral program: Ancient Philosophy/History of Ancient Science (APhil/HistAS)

The Stiftung Preußischer Kulturbesitz (SPK, Prussian Cultural Heritage Foundation) unites the Staatsbibliothek and numerous museums with diverse themes under a single umbrella; this includes the Ägyptische Museum, the Antikensammlung, the Museum für Vor- und Frühgeschichte, the Pergamonmuseum and the Vorderasiatische Museum. The collections and holdings are both encyclopedic and universal; they document the cultural development of mankind from the early stages to the present, and combine to form a unique basis for research. An especially unique characteristic of the collections is that they cover all branches of cultural heritage.

Furthermore, the interdisciplinary work at the Berliner Antike-Kolleg (BAK) benefits from the fact that the activities and knowledge archives of the SPK are situated at the interface of art and culture on the one hand, and of knowledge and research on the other – a position especially beneficial for junior scholars at Berlin Graduate School of Ancient Studies (BerGSAS).

The SPK is engaged in the doctoral programs: Ancient Objects and Visual Studies (AOViS); Languages and Cultures of the Silk Road (Silk Road)