Humboldt Prize for Israeli Scientist
The Israeli archaeologist Oren Tal will be a visiting scholar at the Institute for Classical and Christian Archaeology from the summer semester onwards. His stay is funded by the Alexander von Humboldt Research Award, which comes with a grant of 80,000 euros. In Münster, Tal will continue his research into Hellenistic urbanism and material culture. His focus is particularly on the settlement of Tell Iẓṭabba, which he is excavating together with museum director Dr Achim Lichtenberger.
Podcast with Papyrologist
In the latest episode of the University of Münster’s “Umdenken” podcast, ancient historian Prof. Dr Patrick Sänger discusses his work with Hellenistic papyri. Together with the University of Cologne, he is examining around 20,000 fragments that have been stored at the Bancroft Library at the University of California, Berkeley, since the 1930s. The German Research Foundation is providing the researchers with around €4.3 million over 15 years to catalogue the fragments using artificial intelligence (‘fragment matching’). The aim is to shed new light on Hellenistic Egypt.
Relocation of Casting Collection Completed
The Archaeological Museum's collection of castings has arrived at its new home in Mecklenbeck. The move was necessary because the old hall on Nienkamp had fallen into disrepair. For the first time, the 28 figures that once adorned the pediments of the Temple of Zeus at Olympia can be displayed side by side in their full length (almost 20 metres) in the new hall. There is no room for them in the museum itself, and the previous storage locations – including the former bicycle cellar of the Fürstenberghaus – were also too small.
A total of around 450 casts of ancient sculptures are on display in the hall. The sculptures are complemented by a collection of models with around 25 exhibits, including a model of the entire sanctuary of Olympia. The cast collection is used for research and study. Courses for students are regularly held here. There are plans to open the collection to the general public on selected dates.