The Tale of the Scale and the Skull is a permanent public artwork, a Kunst amBau project by artist Alona Rodeh, which was installed in 2024 on the terrace of PETRI, the archaeological research and visitor center at Petriplatz in Berlin. [1]
The work consists of 600x600 cm natural stone floor mosaic with a skeleton figure at the center, which references medieval remains that were uncovered during excavations at the site, believed to be the "first Berliners". [2] [3] Surrounding the skeleton are illustrations of archaeological tools, bones, and measuring instruments. The composition also incorporates a depiction of the 19th-century allegorical statue Berolina , a female personification of Berlin. [4] [5]
The artwork was commissioned by Berlin’s Senate Department for Culture and Social Cohesion, in cooperation with Berlin’s Senate Department for Urban Development and Housing. [2]