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  The Venus of Willendorf: A 29,500‑Year‑Old Masterpiece and one of the most iconic works of Paleolithic art. Standing just 11.1 cm tall, the figurine was carved from oolitic limestone and originally coated with red ochre, a pigment that still leaves faint traces today. Over the decades, scholars have proposed many interpretations: A fertility figure, amother goddess, a good‑luck totem, an aphrodisiac, a self‑portrait, made by a woman looking down at her own body. 📷 me #archaeology

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  Having a fantastic time in Berlin, spent the whole day at the Neues Museum. Too exhausted for a proper post, so here’s just this cute Egyptian faience rabbit figurine to say: perfect day. 🐇💙 Dating 2120-1794 BC, 11th/12th Dynasty.

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  Archaeology meets Star Trek! Today, we celebrate Star Trek. Like Star Trek’s spirit of exploration, archaeology encourages us to discover the human past and broaden our global understanding. Happy Star Trek Day! Live long and prosper 🖖 #archaeology #StarTrek #StarTrekDay

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  Splendour from the Black Sea! This Hellenistic diadem transforms gold and gemstones into a miniature mythological scene: a Heracles knot at its centre, surmounted by Nike, the winged goddess of victory, and framed by sea monsters. Made from gold, garnet, carnelian, and sardonyx. Found at Kerch, dating 250–150 BC. On display at Antikensammlung München 📷 me

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  One of my favorite #Roman objects: World's oldest known "Swiss army knife", including a hinged knife, fork, spoon, spike, prick, sieve, spatula. Unfortunately, there is no provenance of this multi-tool, but it’s not a unique item: There are a few more examples, e.g. one was found in a Roman tomb in Albintimilium, Italy, dating 2nd/3rd century AD. 📷Fitzwilliam Museum, Cambridge #archaeology #romanarchaeology

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  A Roman-era shipwreck, believed to date between the 2nd and 1st centuries BC, has been discovered approximately three miles off the coast of Mazara del Vallo at a depth of 46 metres. The site comprises a substantial assemblage of amphorae, in association with two lead anchor and an additional lead structure, the function of which remains to be determined. https://cultura.gov.it/comunicato/29255 #archaeology #RomanArchaeology

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  A stunning large plate of the Alb-Hegau type (diameter 55 cm). Found in Gomadingen, dating 8th/7th c. BC The pottery of the Alb-Hegau type, which is elaborated decorated with ornaments consisting of geometric patterns as well as red paint and graphite, can mainly be found in the Swabian Jura, the foothulls of the Swabian Jura as well as the area between Lake Constance and the upper Rhine valley. The fragile vessels were made for funerary and ritual purposes. 📷 Landesmuseum Württemberg

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  An #IceAge masterpiece: This small carving (4.7cm) of a water #bird was made from mammoth ivory some 40,000 years ago. It's thought to be a #diver, #cormorant, or #duck. Found in the Hohle Fels cave on the Swabian Jura. It's the oldest known representation of a bird. On display at Urgeschichtliches Museum Blaubeuren. #archaeology

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  WOW, new finds from the Ice Age! Two absolutely stunning Ice Age figurines from the Swabian Jura were found, dating back around 40,000 years. The tiny carvings, about the size of a thumbnail, depict two birds, rendered with remarkable attention to detail. Snow grouse, buzzard, or perhaps capercaillie? Their exact species remain unknown. 👉 https://uni-tuebingen.de/universitaet/aktuelles-und-publikationen/pressemitteilungen/newsfullview-pressemitteilungen/article/zwei-vogelfiguren-sind-fund-des...

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  An early #medieval silver gilt bow fibula (brooch) found in a woman's grave in Lauchheim, dating around 600AD. Decorated with animal interlace, the foot ends in a stylized animal head. Bow brooches were a common element of women’s dress in south-west Germany. They were worn in in pairs as decorative element on a strap hanging from the belt. On display at Archäologisches Landesmuseum Baden-Württemberg #archaeology

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  Beads with #Minion eyes 👀 Made of yellow, blue and white glass. Found in Vicenice, Czech Republic, dating late 6th/5th century BC. So far, it has not been possible to determine whether the pearls were imported from the Mediterranean region or produced locally. The beads are produced in core-winding technique, the yellow knobs and the eye motifs were applied to the beads. On display at Naturhistorisches Museum Vienna. #archaeology 📷 me #archaeo

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  Beloved toy: An over 1800-year-old rag-doll made from linen and stuffed with flexible filling, and dressed in linen garments. The hair is made of human hair. The eyes, eyebrows, and mouth are painted on. The doll is one of the most elaborate of its kind and presumably belonged to a child from a wealthy family: She's wearing gold earrings and a neck ring and bracelets made of gilded leather. Egypt,  Roman period,  2nd c. AD. 📷 Ägyptisches Museum/Papyrussammlung der Staatlichen Museen  Berli...

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  A bronze helmet of Corinthian type. Herodotus references this helmet as an element of the Greek hoplites' gear. Numerous Corinthian helmets were discovered within the sanctuary at Olympia, offered as dedications to Zeus. The perforations along the rim served as attachment points for a interior lining. Dating 6th century BC. On display at Kunsthistorisches Museum Vienna. 📷️ me #archaeology

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  During the early Iron Age, the Pomeranian culture in Poland developed distinctive clay vessels for cremated remains, influenced by southern European cultures such as the Etruscans. These urns are characterized by human faces and hat-shaped lids, and are frequently adorned with symbolic engravings of celestial bodies, trees, and waves. Depictions of clothing and adornment are also present, figurative scenes of people and animals are rare. 6th/5th c. BC. On display at Neues Museum Berlin 📷️ me

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  A pair of gold bull head earrings, decorated with granulation, filigree and garnets. Dating late 4th century BC. Hoops formed of wound wire with animal-head finials were a very popular type of earring during the #Hellenistic period. They were inserted into a hole in the earlobe. 📷 me On display at Landesmuseum Württemberg #archaeology #RomanArchaeology

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  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

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  A Roman terracotta oil lamp shaped like a sandaled foot. A small but beautiful object from the 2nd/3rd century AD. 📷 Landesmuseum Württemberg #archaeology #RomanArchaeology

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  Fascinating world of ancient #glass: a #Roman bracelet made of turquoise and dark blue glass beads. They are imitating beads made of the lapis lazuli and turquoise, semi-precious stones mined in Afghanistan and Egypt. Found in a burial in Augusta Raurica, Switzerland, 4th c. AD 📷️ me

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  Egyptian blue pigment found in Augusta Raurica, Switzerland. The pigments were used in wall paintings. In Roman times, Egyptian blue was distributed throughout the Empire in a more or less standardised form of small balls of 15-20 mm in diameter. The painter could define the respective grain size and thus the shade of blue and the covering capacity of the ground up artificial pigment himself. On display at Museum Augusta Raurica 📷️ me #archaeology #RomanArchaeology

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  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

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  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

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  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

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  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

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  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

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  #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 #archaeology #RomanArchaeology

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  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. https://english.ahram.org.eg/NewsContent/9/41/572202/Antiquities/GrecoRoman/New-major-discoveries-at-Marina-El-Alamein-reveal-.aspx #archaeology

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  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.

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  Today, I am visiting the remarkable Pompejanum in Aschaffenburg, an idealized replica of a #Roman villa, constructed in the 1840s by Ludwig I of Bavaria, and it is modeled after the Casa dei Dioscuri in #Pompeii

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  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

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  These beautifully crafted balls, dating to around 1500 BC (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