Post Hall (A.U.B Archaeological Museum), Beirut

The Archaeology Museum of the American University of Beirut is a historic institution located in Beirut. It stands as the third oldest museum in the Near East, following those in Cairo and Constantinople. Established in 1868, the museum's foundation was initiated when Luigi Palma di Cesnola gifted a collection of Cypriot pottery to the then-newly-formed American University of Beirut. The first curator of the museum was Georges Post, after whom Post Hall, the museum's dedicated building funded by Morris Jesup, was named. Post Hall opened its doors in 1902.

The early years of the museum were marked by rapid growth in its collections, acquiring a wide range of artifacts from across the Middle East between 1902 and 1938. However, this period was also rife with archaeological plundering in Lebanon, which contributed artifacts to the museum from clandestine excavations. The museum closed during World War II and reopened in 1948, subsequently undergoing significant expansions and renovations. In the 1950s, under curator Dimitri Baramki, the museum doubled its floor space and reopened to the public in 1964 after extensive refurbishment.

Under the leadership of its current curator, Nadine Panayot, since September 2020, the museum is embracing a digital era and has embarked on major restoration efforts, particularly following the extensive damage caused by the August 4th blast in Beirut.

The museum displays pottery collections chronologically and thematically, illustrating its evolution. Highlights include the Cesnola Collection spanning Cypriot pottery from the Bronze Age to the Roman era, and a prehistoric collection featuring artifacts from the Paleolithic and Neolithic periods. Particularly noteworthy is the Ksar Akil collection donated by the University of Boston, showcasing a 23-meter stratigraphic sequence with flint tools and human remains dating back 50,000 to 18,000 years.