Discover Ancient Treasures: Exhibition Unveils Remarkable Archaeological Discoveries from the Region
The MUT is showing the most spectacular archaeological finds of recent years in a new exhibition. The exhibition “Gold in the Ammertal – The end of the Stone Age in the Tübingen area” was created in a cooperation between the Institute for Prehistory and Protohistory and Medieval Archeology at the University of Tübingen and the State Office for Monument Preservation in the Stuttgart Regional Council. The opening of the exhibition, to which representatives of the press and all interested parties are cordially invited, will take place on Thursday, September 21st, at 7 p.m. in the castle church at Hohentübingen Castle .
In the Neolithic period in the 6th millennium BC. Permanent houses were built for the first time and the deceased were buried in burial grounds. This transition from a nomadic way of life to sedentary life can be considered one of the most important changes in human cultural history. Human settlement, in turn, provides the basis for many important innovations that shape our lives today, such as pottery, textile production and metallurgy. At the end of the Neolithic period, wheels and carts were also developed, revolutionizing human mobility and the transport of goods.
The aim of the joint research project, the most important findings of which are presented in the exhibition, was initially to research selected Neolithic settlements in the Tübingen area. The results also shed new light on the landscape change in the Tübingen area due to environmental changes and human intervention.
One of the most sensational finds is a small gold ring recovered in autumn 2020 during archaeological research excavations in an early Bronze Age grave near Ammerbuch-Reusten, which can be considered the oldest precious metal find in southwest Germany.
The exhibition “Gold in the Ammertal – The end of the Stone Age in the Tübingen area” outlines the path from the first settled farming communities in southwest Germany to the beginning of metal use in Central Europe.
A richly illustrated volume accompanying the exhibition will be published with essays on the cultural history of the region around Tübingen, contributions to archaeological methodology and a catalog of the sites examined.