A remarkable number of disciplines dealing with ancient civilizations are concentrated in the Freie Universität Berlin (FU). A total of around 20 fields 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 Freie Universität 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. This factor, combined with the wealth of disciplines and the cooperation between the Berlin Graduate School of Ancient Studies and the Dahlem Research School (DRS), make the FU one of the first choices for students and teachers of the ancient studies.