built in 165 b.c. and dedicated to the god zeus and goddess athena. the frieze tells the story of a violent battle between the greek gods and the giants, the sons of mother earth. only fragments remain, but the drama and movement still resonate. another life-size ancient treasure, the gate of ishtar, once led the way into babylon. dated from the sixth century b.c., the gate stood over the sacred way where processions marched into the city. imagine what a dazzling site babylon appeared then, rising from the mesopotamian plain. the lions are the sacred animal of ishtar, goddess of the sky and love. the museuminsel is in the heart of old berlin, which is called the mitte. "mitte" means middle, and indeed it is the center of the city. but for 30 years, the berlin wall divided the mitte,