Nina Willburger

In rich graves of southwest Germany's early #medieval period, rock crystal objects such as belt buckles are frequently discovered. Rock crystal was believed to possess healing and protective properties, and was also used for magical purposes
Rock crystal objects were likely valued not only for their purported powers but also for their economic worth. This rock crystal buckle was found in a grave in Pfullingen, dating 6th century. It is presumably a product of a Byzantine workshop.

📷 me

A fleeting moment preserved for millennia: around 1,900 years ago, a child stepped onto a Roman tile left to dry in the sun before firing, leaving behind a footprint that still speaks across the centuries.

Found in Nijmegen, on display at Museum Het Valkhof.

📷 me

#TilesOnTuesday
#archaeology #romanarchaeology

I do have the best job in the world!!

Our “Mammutle” (little mammoth) is heading to a special exhibition in Halle/Saale - what an incredible opportunity to take a closer look at this Ice Age masterpiece.

Crafted around 40,000 years ago from mammoth ivory, is one of the earliest known examples of figurative art.
Found in the Vogelherd cave on the Swabian Jura,.

Moments like these remind me how special it is to work so closely with objects that connect us directly to our deep human past.

Amazing new discovery:
Polish archaeologists have uncovered a more than 100‑meter‑long trail of ancient shipwreck remains near Ptolemais in eastern Libya, suggesting that multiple maritime disasters occurred in the area over centuries.

👉 https://tvpworld.com/92073481/100-meter-shipwreck-trail-found-by-polish-archaeologists-near-ancient-ptolemais-in-libya

#archaeology

The Odyssey in a nutshell 😄

A charming #Egyptian drawing of a #cat acting as a servant to a #mouse. Drawings of animals acting as people were meant as satire of the society and politics.
Dating 13th/12th century BC, probably from Deir el-Medina, #Egypt.

📷 Musées Royaux d'Art et d'Histoire, Brussels

Just another Monday…

A Roman mosaic depicting a somewhat whimsical owl 🦉, found in Uzès, southern France, dating second half of the 1st century BC.

📷 Denis Gliksman, Inrap

#MosaicMonday

Fascinating world of ancient #glass: This #Roman flask in the form of a fish was found in Cologne, 3rd c. AD.
We don't know what is was used for, maybe the shape relates to the content (fish sauce), maybe it was used to hold oil.

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#archaeology

We all need a timeline cleanse right now, so let's start the day with this lovely jug with an octopus motif, dating ca 1200-1100 BC.

On display at National Museum Copenhagen.

A lovely weekend to all of you!

📷 me

#archaeology

New discovery: A large burial ground dating from the Early Imperial Age to Late Antiquity has been uncovered in Rome’s Ostiense Necropolis during pre-construction works.

https://cultura.gov.it/comunicato/28763

A terracotta antefix with the head of Medusa, the snake-haired creature whose sight turns everyone to stone.
Medusa’s head was a popular motif and used to ward off any evil.
Antifixes were used to conceal the ends of the tiles that ran along the edge of roofs. Ca. 480 BC.

On display at Landesmuseum Württemberg

📷 me

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Beloved #toys: a pair of #Roman ivory #dolls with articulated arms and legs found in a tomb of a little #girl from a wealthy family in Emona, Ljubljana/Slovenia.

The majority of the dolls in Roman times were made of less valuable materials such as clay, wood or linen.

The two dolls that could be dressed with clothes must have been very precious to the girl who died far too young.

Dating 2nd half of the 3rd c. AD.

📷 National Museum of Slovenia

#archaeology #romanarchaeology

An adorable #Roman shoe, made for a #baby too young to walk. The shoe imitates the footwear of Roman soldiers (caligae). The cut-out design would have shown off the kid’s socks!

From Bordeaux, dating 1st/2nd AD.

📷 Bordeaux, Musée d’Aquitaine

#archaeology #romanarchaeology

The early medieval burial from Gammertingen, 6th century AD.
The high-ranking warrior died in his early 30s and was buried with a Byzantine helmet (a so-called Spangenhelm), his weapons, and his mail armour, which consisted of about 45,000 iron rings!

📷Landesmuseum Württemberg

#archaeology

It has been quite a week! We all need a timeline cleanse 🐰

This whimsical shallow terracotta bowl with a lively hare's head modelled onto its rim was perfect for holding libations, grains, or small offerings during #Greek rituals.
While its exact findespot is unknown, comparable pieces have been found in Tanagra burials.
6th c. BC

On display at MUT (Museum of the University Tübingen)

📷 me

#archaeology

As I'm attending a conference in Tübingen today for #findsfriday an #IceAge masterpiece that is on display at the University museum: a tiny (4.8 cm lenght) but most splendid figurine from the Swabian Jura - a #horse carved in mammoth ivory some 40,000 years ago - the oldest known sculpture of a horse.
📷me

#archaeology

A #Roman wooden bucket with a spout. While many such buckets probably once existed, this is the only one known to have survived from that period.

On display at Castellum Hoge Woerd, The Netherlands.

📷me

#archaeology #RomanArchaeology

Beer for the afterlife!
An #Egyptian figurine of a servant with a basket full of #beer jars.
Figurine of servants were deposited in tombs to ensure that the deceased would enjoy the products and services represented.
Beer was a dietary staple in #Egypt, so it’s not surprising to find a figurine such as this one.

From the tomb of the priest Djasha, Giza, 2504-2347 BC.

On display at Egyptological Museum Universität Leipzig

📷 me

I usually don't give series recommendations, but 'How to Get to Heaven from Belfast' (on Netflix) is truly brilliant! An absolute gem!

New research: Paleolithic artifacts hint at earliest protowriting
Geometric shapes on 40,000-year-old bone and ivory suggest early European Homo sapiens long possessed cognitive tools for language.
The artifacts found at the Swabian Jura, a plateau in SW Germany, might contain the earliest known symbolic precursors to writing. 

https://www.science.org/content/article/ancient-artifacts-hint-earliest-protowriting

This ca. 5,000-year-old Neolithic polished flint axe with its original ash wood handle is remarkable well preserved.

During the Neolithic period in Denmark, as agriculture began to expand, farmers had to clear the forests, which involved felling trees and burning away brushwood in preparation for cultivation. They used polished flint axes for both tree felling and timber work.

Fount at Sigerslev bog, Denmark, dating 3,100-3,000 BC.

On display National Museum Copenhagen

📷 me
#archaeology

Roman 'voodoo doll' from Eining: Hand-modeled clay figurines with puncture holes are commonly referred to as 'voodoo dolls'. Archaeological and epigraphic evidence indicates that these figurines were pierced with nails or needles by individuals attempting to influence or harm a person.

Dating 2nd/3rd century AD.

On display at Archäologische Staatssammlung München

📷️ me

#archaeology #RomanArchaeology

A hand made of bronze and gold. It has been interpreted as the earliest proshetic hand for a casualty of conflict, a symbol for the status of the bearer. However, the solar symbols on the cuff suggest that it had also a cosmological significance. Found in Prêles by detectorists. An excavation followed, which revealed that the hand came from a grave of an adult man. Radiocarbon dating of the organic glue used to attach the gold foil onto the wrist indicates that it dates back to 1,500 to 1,400 BC

This is a marvelous example of whimsy and craftsmanship! A rare Greek askos, made in the shape of a lobster claw. Dating back to approximately 450 BC, the vessel was used to hold perfumed oil. 🦞

📷 Antikensammlung Kassel #archaeology

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We all need a a timeline cleanse!

A tiny #Egyptian #frog amulet, made of carnelian (height 0.9 cm). Because of their numerous offspring, #frogs were considered a symbol of fertility. Dating c. 1540-1296 BC, New Kingdom.

A lovely weekend to all of you

📷Cleveland Museum of Art

Have you ever seen a Roman plumbing device that is both genius and gorgeous? Just look at this bronze drain strainer, found in the Roman baths at Weißenburg, Germany, dating2nd/3rd century AD!

📷 me

#romanarchaeology
#archaeology #findsfriday

In 2023, a Bronze Age sword was found during excavations in Nördlingen, Bavaria.
Non-destructive analysis now revealed new details about Bronze Age craftsmanship.

👉https://www.helmholtz-berlin.de/pubbin/news_seite?nid=32626&sprache=en&seitenid=1e

#archaeology

In the early medieval period, colorful glass beads were a mark of prestige and fashion. This striking necklace, comprising over 60 beads in vibrant reds, blues, yellows, and intricate patterns, was discovered in the burial of a woman at Bissingen, southwest Germany, dating 7th century.
Handcrafted and traded across regions, these beads highlight her social status.

📷 Landesamt für Denkmalpflege/Y. Mühleis

#archaeology

A completely preserved #Roman syrinx (#panflute) made of one single piece of boxwood, length 11cm. It features seven precisely drilled pipes.

Dating around 50/60 AD, found in Eschenz, Switzerland.

On display at Archäologisches Museum Frauenfeld

📷 me

#archaeology #romanarchaeology

A 15,000-year-old painted limestone, from the Hohle Fels Cave, Swabian Jura. The shapes of the dots are symmetrical and executed precisely. The accuracy indicates that the dot rows were painted using a tool or stamp. On display at our branch museum urmu, Blaubeuren

📷 me

#archaeology

For today's #MosaicMonday a #Roman guard #dog chained to the door, a detail from a mosaic at the entrance of the House of Paquius Proculus in #Pompeii.
Dating 1st century AD.

Cave canem - Beware of the dog 🐶🐕🦮🐕‍🦺🐩

📷me

#archaeology #RomanArchaeology

For #SuperbOwlSunday a gorgeous armed #owl, depicted on a Greek vessel, dating 5th century BC.

📷Louvre, Paris

Elephant bone finding in Spain may be from time of Hannibal's war against Rome.

A recent study suggests that a 2,200-year-old bone, which was discovered in 2020 near Córdoba, Spain, might have originated from one of Hannibal's war elephants during the Second Punic War.

https://www.livescience.com/archaeology/romans/landmark-elephant-bone-finding-in-spain-may-be-from-time-of-hannibals-war-against-rome

Timeline cleanse!

A Greek Lekythos (a vessel to store and pour scented oil) decorated with an #owl, 470 BC. 🦉

The owl was the sacred animal of Athena, the goddess of wisdom, who was also the protector goddess of Athens.

On display at Antikensammlung München

📷me

#archaeology

#RomanFortThursday: a #Roman dagger and and two dagger sheaths, both elaborately decorated with inlays (silver, brass, enamel).
Found in the Roman fort at Ehingen-Risstissen, dating 1st century AD.

On display at our branch museum Limesmuseum Aalen

#romanarchaeology #archaeology

For #ReliefWednesday a representation of Minerva, the #Roman goddess of wisdom, arts, crafts, and warfare. She's carrying the helmet, a lance and a shield. The deity is accompanied by an #owl, her sacred animal.
Found in Burgstall an der Murr.

📷 Landesmuseum Württemnberg

🏺 #archaeology

For #EpigraphyTuesday a Roman infantry helmet (Weisenau type) with an owner’s inscription formed by punched dots on the neck guard: the helmet belonged to Lucius Lucretius Celer, legionary in the centuria of Gaius Mummius Lolianus of the legio I adiutrix.

Found near Mainz in the River Rhine. Dating 1st century AD.

On dislpay at Germanisches Nationalmuseum Nürnberg

📷 me

#archaeology #romansarchaeology

This one never gets old.

We all need a good laugh these days. 😆

A child’s footprint frozen in time - pressed into a #Roman tile as it dried before firing nearly 1,800 years ago.

A tiny, timeless reminder of everyday life in the ancient world.

📷 https://online.landessammlungen-noe.at/objects/1306843

#archaeology #RomanArchaeology

This was from 2024, but sadly it remains just as relevant today. Deeply troubling.

#FindsFriday! Glass beads were a luxury product in Bronze Age central Europe. These 3,000 year-old beads were found in the pile-dwelling settlements of Sipplingen and Hagnau-Burg at Lake Constance. They were probably made in the Alpine foothills from raw glass imported from Italy

📷 ALM Baden-Württemberg

#archaeology