Deutsche Orient-Gesellschaft

The Deutsche Orient-Gesellschaft (, ''German Oriental Society''), abbreviated DOG, is a German voluntary association based in Berlin dedicated to the study of the Near East.

The DOG was officially founded in January 1898 to foster public interest in oriental antiquities, and to promote related archaeological research. It competed with similar organizations in France and England, and reflected an increased enthusiasm to learn about the Bible lands in the late 19th century. DOG focused on the cultures of the Middle East from early times to the Islamic period.

The founders of the DOG included a number of well-connected members of German society, including Henri James Simon and banker Franz von Mendelssohn. Their wealth enabled the DOG to undertake expensive excavations in the Middle East. Kaiser Wilhelm II developed an interest in archaeology and took the DOG under his protection from 1901, funding excavations with grants from Imperial funds. It was officially a subsidiary of the German museum administration, so its finds automatically belonged to the Prussian state. Further, its activities were aided by friendly relations established between the German and Ottoman Empires. The DOG's activities were interrupted by the World Wars. The DOG was reestablished in 1947, and celebrated its centennial at the Pergamon Museum in Berlin in 1998. Provided by Wikipedia