In the autumn of 1928 a German archaeological expedition began to excavate the site of Ctesiphon, the capital of the Sassanid empire. Two years earlier the Deutsche Orientgesellschaft, which had successfully made excavations at Babylon, Assur, Farah and Warka, was informed by the Iraq Ministry of Education that the help of German archaeologists in carrying out research would be welcomed. The Society thereupon agreed to co-operate with the Notgemeinschaft der Deutschen Wissenschaft in the excavation of Ctesiphon and Seleucia.