The so-called Venus of Hohle Fels (a cave on the Swabian Jura) was carved in mammoth ivory some 40,000 years ago. The 6cm figurine is the world’s oldest known representation of a human. It lacks a head. Instead, a carved ring is placed above the shoulders. The ring preserves polish, suggesting that the figurine was worn as a pendant.
On display at our branch museum Urmu Blaubeuren.
📷 me
Two adorable Egyptian figurines: a roaring hippo and a baby hippo, dating ca 1,800 BC.
The lotus flowers on the back of the large animal indicate the marshy habitat of the animal. They also symbolized regeneration and rebirth as they close every night and open again in the morning
On display at Neues Museum Berlin.
📷 me
Two finely crafted bone combs from the early 6th century AD, found in a grave at Dittigheim. To protect their delicate tines, they were carefully kept in a custom-made case. In the Early Middle Ages, long, well-groomed hair was more than a fashion choice, it was a symbol of status and identity.
On display at Landesmuseum Württemberg.
📷️ me
An amazing miniature portrait of the #Roman empress Agrippina Minor (15-59 AD), made from chalcedony. Agrippina was the mother of Nero, and married to her uncle, emperor Claudius. It was rumoured that she poisoned her husband with a dish of mushrooms.
📷 me
An arrowhead made of #meteorite iron: around 1,500 BC, a meteorite struck #Estonia. A fragment of it arrived - presumably in the baggage of an amber trader - at what is now Lake Biel, #Switzerland. An arrowhead was then made there from the cosmic iron.
From Mörigen, 900-800 BC.
📷️ me
Yesterday, a trip to the Rhön Mountains led us to the Grenzturm Grabenweg (Grabenweg border watchtower), a preserved border watchtower from the former inner-German frontier, located in the Rhön Mountains at the intersection of Bavaria, Hesse, and Thuringia. As part of the extensive border security system that once divided East and West Germany, the tower functioned as an observation point within a restricted and heavily controlled landscape.
📷 me
One of my favorite glass vessels: A marvellous Roman vessel in the form of a pig, made of blue glass. It was used to hold ointment or perfume.
Found in a burial in Cologne. Dating late 2nd/early 3rd century AD.
📷️ Römisch-Germanisches Museum Köln
#RomanSiteSaturday! The architectural perfection of Timgad, Algeria, is consistently striking in aerial views. The Colonia Marciana Traiana Thamugadi was founded in 100 AD. Its plan, laid out with great precision, is Roman urban planning at its best.
📷 Georg Steinmetz
New major discoveries at Marina El Alamein: Archaeologists have uncovered tombs, a sealed granite sarcophagus, exceptional funerary objects, and further remains of the ancient city of Marina El Alamein.
Gone swimming - a day off from archaeology
Yesterday, I visited the Pompejanum in Aschaffenburg. As some of you may recall, in 2022, a Roman portrait, unknowingly acquired by a woman at a Goodwill store in Austin, Texas, for $34.99, was identified as an artefact stolen during World War II from the Pompejanum. It was returned in 2023.
Neolithic flint dagger blades from various sites around Lake Constance. The wooden handles haven't survived. The flint material was sourced from the Southern Alpine region, highlighting early trade networks and cultural connections between the Alpine Foreland and the Southern Alps during the Neolithic period. These daggers represent the skilled craftsmanship and wide-ranging interactions of prehistoric communities.
📷️ Archäologisches Landesmuseum Baden-Württemberg
Just another monday
A grumpy #squid on a Greek #fish plate from Apulia, dating 330-300 BC.
Fish plates were decorated with various examples of seafood. They were invented in Athens in the 5th c. BC. Most of them are found in Southern Italy, where they were produced in the 4th c. BC.
📷 Kestner Museum Hannover/C. Tepper
The fascinating world of ancient #glass comes to life in this striking #Roman pitcher.
Its handle ends in an appliqué featuring the head of a Bacchant, a devoted follower of Bacchus, the god of wine, making it a fitting and evocative decoration for a vessel designed to pour wine.
Dating ca 50-75 AD
📷️ Corning Museum of Glass
These beautifully crafted balls, dating to around 1500 BC (from Egypt,18th Dynasty), were made from linen and decorated with vibrant red, blue, and green reed strips. They were likely used not only for play but also in rituals and acrobatic performances.
On display at Museum August Kestner
📷 me
#FindsFriday!
A richly decorated #Roman cavalry battle helmet, found in Theilenhofen at the Upper German-Raetian Limes.
Dating to the second half of the 2nd century AD.
On display Germanisches Nationalmuseum Nürnberg
📷 me
A stunning amber bead necklace, dating 6th century BC, from Saal a.d.Saale-Waltershausen.
It appears that amber served a dual purpose, enhancing the appearance and protecting the women who wore it during the Hallstatt period.
The intriguing material, sourced from the Baltic region, underwent local processing. Its value was enhanced by its protective attributes and its foreign origin.
On display at Archäologische Staatssammlung München.
📷 me
One of the oldest wheels in the world!
A ca. 5,000 year-old wooden disc wheel from Olzreute-Enzisholz. The site is part of the UNESCO World Heritage "Prehistoric Pile Dwellings around the Alps."
The waterlogged, anaerobic environment provided ideal conditions for the preservation of organic materials such as wood. To date, three disc wheels have been discovered at Olzreute-Enzisholz. Dating around 2,900 BC.
On display at our branch museum Federseemuseum Bad Buchau.
📷me
I rarely post personal stuff here, but I wanted to share this: That's the house that made me want to be an #archaeologist. In Rottweil, the oldest town in Baden-Württemberg, archaeologists always show up before construction starts. My parents weren’t nearly as excited as I was, but that’s when I became hooked on archaeology, and fortunately, my parents supported my interest ever since.
Now, after more than 45 years, my parents have moved out, which is somewhat bittersweet, but a wise decision.
