Until the Witching Hour
Open Until Midnight on ‘Long Friday’
On 7 October, visitors will once again have the opportunity to visit the Archaeological Museum until midnight during ‘Long Friday’ before it closes for three weeks starting on Monday. The reason for this is the installation of the special exhibition on the coin island of Sicily, which will be on display from 8 November. As always, admission to ‘Long Friday’ is free of charge.
Topic of the Month
Of Olympians and Gladiators
Focus tour on Sport and Games in Antiquity
Today, as in ancient times, sporting events are a central focus of everyday life in society. One example of this is the Münsterland Giro on 3 October. Two days later, on 5 October, Nick Winkelmann will explain the significance of sporting tournaments and spectacles in ancient Greece and the Roman Empire at 2.15 p.m. during the ‘Topic of the Month’ event. Their importance lay not only in the pursuit of glory and entertainment, but also in the religious and moral sphere.
Using exhibits in the Archaeological Museum, Nick Winkelmann will show which sports were already practised in ancient Greece and shed light on the events in the arenas of the Roman Empire. The tour will be repeated on 12 October, also at 2.15 p.m.
Admission is free and registration is not required.
Save the Date
Archaeology and Conflicts
Conflicts and disputes not only threaten human coexistence today – their traces reach far back into the past. Archaeological finds and findings prove that violence and war have always been part of human history. The ‘Archäologie diagonal’ network at the University of Münster, of which the Archaeological Museum is a member, is organising a public lecture series entitled ‘Archaeology and Conflicts’ during the winter semester, to which the interested public is also invited.
Speakers from Germany, Austria and Switzerland will shed light on the archaeology of conflicts, including the analysis of battlefields and the looting that accompanies wars. The topic is not only relevant from an intercultural perspective, but also contributes to the theory of collective human violence. A deeper understanding of the historical roots of human aggression should help us to better comprehend current conflicts.
The lecture series begins on 27 October with ancient historian Dr Uroš Matić from the University of Graz. He will speak at 6 p.m. in Lecture Hall F2 of the Fürstenberghaus on ‘Violence and Enrichment: Egyptian Evidence of the Plundering of Foreign Countries in the New Kingdom’. Registration is not required, and the event will also be broadcast via Zoom.