Splat in the middle of the Nile River, in southern Egypt, an isle called Elephantine plays host to a uniquely diverse population. Under the fronds of its palm trees, different languages, religions, and cultures have coexisted peacefully for millennia. And across thousands of texts on papyrus and clay in 10 languages historians have traced 4,000 years of unbroken multiculturalism. In this exhibition, which spans both the Neues Galerie and James-Simon-Galerie, objects from the Musée du Louvre, the Brooklyn Museum, and other institutions have come together to tell the island’s stories of love, pluralism, trade, and spirituality. —Elena Clavarino