Portrait of the historian and archaeologist Jean-Daniel Schoepflin, 17th century
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One of Strasbourg’s oldest museums
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The earliest archaeological collection in Strasbourg had its source in a bequest made to the City of Strasbourg in the late 18th century by the Alsatian historian Jean-Daniel Schoepflin. This vast collection of inscriptions, sculptures, bronze figurines and ceramics, of not only local, but also Greek, Etruscan and Roman origin, was completely destroyed along with the city’s early archives in the fire that gutted the Strasbourg library during the siege of 1870. The same fate struck the collections put together by the fledgling Société pour la Conservation des Monuments Historiques d’Alsace (SCMHA), established in 1855. It was the SCMHA that undertook the earliest excavations and collected many objects intended for a large museum of regional archaeology. Indeed, the Musée Archéologique is the oldest in the City of Strasbourg. During the period that Alsace formed part of the Reichsland Elsass-Lothringen between 1871 and 1918, the SCMHA’s principle mission was to replace the destroyed collections. The major development projects undertaken during the remodelling of a city destined to become the capital of the new imperial province were all regularly monitored for archaeological finds. The construction of the railway station, for example, brought to light a large necropolis of the later Roman Empire. Similarly, the building of breweries and numerous other sites in Koenigshoffen also unearthed vestiges of its Roman past. In 1896 all these collections were brought together in the Palais Rohan under the direction of two German university professors, Rudolf Henning and Johannes Ficker, and they remain there to this day.
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Millennial timeline
Pax Romana (1st and 2nd centuries AD) 58 BC: Caesar defeats the German Ariovistus; the Romans settle in Alsace
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Nomadic huntergatherers Upper Palaeolithic Development of cave art Middle Palaeolithic Domestication of fire
10,000 years ago
Palaeolithic
Epipalaeolithic/ Mesolithic Microlithic tools; temperate climate
Chalcolithic Corded ware Population migration (Bell-)Beaker culture
Late Empire End of Roman civilisation/emergence of Christianity
2000 BC
Lower Palaeolithic Succession of hot and cold climatic phases
Bronze Age Civilisation of the tumuli of Haguenau forest Beginnings of copper and then bronze metallurgy
800
apogee of the Roman Empire
2300 BC
End of Neolithic
500
AD 1
3200 BC
600,000 years ago
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Merovingian period 5th century: settlement by the Alemanni and the Franks
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Iron metallurgy; emergence of oppida
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Roessen Grossgartach
Foundation of Marseille by the Greeks
3400 BC
Hallstatt culture (early Iron Age)
Mid-Neolithic
Later Neolithic
450 BC
Linear Pottery Culture Appearance of production economy; earliest pottery and polished worked stones; sedentarisation; earliest necropolises
4300 BC
Early Neolithic
600 BC
750 BC
5300 BC
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La Tène culture (second Iron Age)
Munzingen Michelsberg
Celtic expansion
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Prehistory
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1 The Achenheim chopper
2 Hand-axe found at Hochfelden
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Prehistory
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3 Spondylus shell ornament
4 Stone disc ring
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Prehistory
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Memories of the Mediterranean
A very precious stone
Hailing from the distant shores of the Mediterranean, this shell, called a spondylus, demonstrates the intensification of long-distance trade between northern and southern Europe in the Early Neolithic from 5500 BC. In fact, fossil spiny oysters – rare and much sought-after objects – were deposited in a tomb discovered near Osthoffen: seven tubular beads and a circular pendant constitute a lavish ornament that testifies, even after death, to the privileged social status of its owner. The precise function of these objects has been much discussed, some seeing them as necklace pendants, others believing they were attached to a belt.
Chosen for its beautiful dark green hue, this rock has been skilfully shaped into a pair of egg-shaped bracelets. These “irregular disc rings” were found in place in a tomb in Schiltigheim, near Strasbourg. It is believed that they were worn at the top of the arm. The lengthy process of their manufacture, the quality of the rock and its careful polishing accentuate the exceptional and precious character of artefacts worn by men in the Middle Neolithic (Grossgartach civilisation between 4800 and 4500 BC). They were mainly unear thed in the southern area of the Alsatian plain and on the margins of Switzerland and Franche-Comté.
3 Spondylus shell ornament Osthoffen-Breuschwickersheim, grave 2 Spondylus Beads: L. from 4.5 to 5 cm; diam. from 2.1 to 3 cm Pendant: H. 9.8 cm; W. 8.8 cm Early Neolithic (Linear Pottery culture)
4 Stone disc ring Schiltigheim Serpentine H. 9.3 cm; W. 10.9 cm Middle Neolithic (Grossgartach)
“By the simple fact that it can survive its maker a tool is likely to accumulate improvements from generation to generation at an incomparably faster rate than biological evolution.” André Leroi-Gourhan, Le Fil du temps. Ethnologie et préhistoire (1935-1970), 1983
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Prehistory
Long-term conservation
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Objects of identity?
A grain silo converted into a landfill site has Alsace was one of the first regions in France brought to light a series of huge jars dated to be affected by the “Neolithic Revolution” to the Michelsberg civilisation (between and by the development of agriculture, 4200 and 3400 BC). They include a cera livestock and the earliest villages. The mic piece intended to store foodstuffs, appearance of ceramics can likewise be one of the largest known vases of the linked with the arrival of new populations European Neolithic. Entirely handmade, who came from the Danube regions, it constituted a technical tour de force for bringing with them their Linear Pottery the potters who made it by carefully culture. It takes its French name, civilisabuilding up and smoothing a succession tion rubanée, from the “ribbon” decoraof clay slabs, before drying and firing tion that unfurls over vases whose forms them in a sizeable kiln beneath a large increased in complexity over time. By the dome of wood and earth. Once buried in end of the period, all ceramics were covthe ground, filled with seeds and hermetered with a rich decoration carefully ically sealed with clay to prevent fermenincised with a punch made of bone. tation and the intrusion of rodents, this The evolution of the form and decoration of type of container ensured the preservathe vases makes it possible to pinpoint tion of its contents until sowing season various cultural groups and their regional the following spring. variants, making ceramics a crucial chronological marker for archaeologists when 5 Large ceramic jars dating a site and its successive levels of Geispolsheim, known as Bruechel occupation. (excavations C. Jeunesse, Direction des Antiquités) 6 Linear Pottery culture ceramics Ceramic Schiltigheim, Reichstett H. 62 cm; upper diam. 32 cm Ceramic Late Neolithic (Munzingen group) Left: H. 15 cm; right: H. 6 cm Early Neolithic (Linear Pottery culture)
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Prehistory
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5 Large ceramic jars
6 Linear Pottery culture ceramics
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Prehistory
Drilling stone in the Neolithic period
What is the secret of how prehistoric humans managed to pierce stone? How did they make such perfect holes for handles for polished stone axes? The first part of the analysis entails observing under a microscope and studying the traces left on stone during the process of perforation. But to rediscover exactly the gestures of humans in the distant past, one must turn to experimental archaeology. Perforation
27 tests on stone were carried out using a bow (a bent wooden rod fitted with a string) rotated manually. Equipped with a hardwood drill ‘bit’ with a diameter that of the hole to be drilled, the body of the tool is held vertically against the axe, while the bow, propelled back and forth, is driven by a string that steadily turns the bit. First one side is pierced to halfway down, followed by the other. Requiring great precision and patience, this was a labour-intensive activity. Abrasive sand placed into the hollow accentuates the effect of friction; water is regularly poured to avoid overheating the point of the drill as it rubs against the stone.
Large polished stone axe with hole
Fragment of an axe unsuccessfully holed
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Reconstruction of a wooden drill and its bow for perforating stone
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The Gallo-Roman period
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Premium French workmanship
In Roman times, bronze-casting reached a very high level of technical mastery and perfection. Bronzers made many everyday articles (tableware, furniture trimmings, jewellery, personal adornments, etc.), as well as countless figurines of deities that filled the temples and domestic shrines. The bust of Bacchus, god of the vine and wine, in the museum is a fine illustration: his chubby face is framed by an exuberant hairstyle intertwined with vine leaves and bunches of grapes. Silver highlights draw attention to thehe eyes and the tiara crowning his forehead. As for the recipient in the shape of the bust of a Nubian, it is a balsam jar intended to contain perfumed oils or ointments that wealthy Romans took with them when they went to the baths to wash and enjoy a massage. 21 Bust of Bacchus Strasbourg, Hôpital Civil Hollow-cast, silvered and gilt bronze H. 16 cm; W. 11.5 cm Late 1st century AD 22 Bust of a Nubian Strasbourg, 4 rue de la Haute-Montée Hollow-cast bronze H. 10.6 cm; W. 8.5 cm Late 1st–early 2nd century AD
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The Gallo-Roman period
An electric torch from antiquity
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Who is the fairest of them all?
Roman oil lamps were generally made of This painted panel unearthed in an opulent moulded ceramic, but there were also house found in the early 20th century in more luxurious bronze models. Immen the Saint-Thomas district of Strasbourg sely varied, their decorations and shapes depicts a well-known episode from Grecowere designed to cater for a vast clientele: Roman mythology. The scene shown was mythological scenes or episodes from the spark that lit the Trojan War, as related daily life, real or fantastic animals, patby Homer. terns based on plants, lamps in the shapes Two groups of figures appear in a wooded of a barrel or even a foot wearing a sandal. landscape dominated by a huge doorway. Filled with oil and equipped with a wick In the foreground, the god Mercury with set into the nozzle at the front, these his caduceus is conversing with a sheplamps made it possible to illuminate and herd who is none other than Paris, son of transport light into the darkest rooms in Priam, king of Troy. In the background, houses of the ancient world. The model the three goddesses Minerva, Venus and presented here is exceptional, not only in Juno, their outlines blocked out in rapid terms of its large size, but also for its fine brushstrokes, await the verdict as to decoration, in which two theatre masks which of them is the most beautiful. Paris frame a circular tank. chooses Venus, who had promised him the love of the beautiful Helen of Sparta, 23 Oil lamp with two nozzles and hands her the golden apple, the prize Strasbourg, Rue de l’Ail of this beauty contest. This, of course, (excavations J.-J. Hatt) enraged both Juno, who had offered him Ceramic a vast empire in Asia, and Minerva, who H. 23 cm had promised him victory in battle. Late 1st century AD 24 The Judgement of Paris Strasbourg, Place Saint-Thomas Wall painting with polychrome decoration Panel: H. 48 cm; W. 45 cm 2nd century AD
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The Gallo-Roman period
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23 Oil lamp with two nozzles
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The Gallo-Roman period
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24 Wall painting depicting the Judgement of Paris
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The early Middle Ages
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From the middle of the 4th century AD, and despite the increased fortification of the Rhine border, hordes of Alemanni started encroaching across the Rhine and settling on the left bank of the river. In the wake of the invasion of the Huns in 451 and the evaporation of Roman authority, both the Alemanni and Franks then quickly extended their dominion over the whole country. Following the Battle of Tolbiac in 496, Clovis fought off the Alemanni in northernmost Alsace. Absorbed into the kingdom of Austrasia in 532, in 635 the region became a duchy administered by officials of Frankish origin, including Adalric, third duke of Alsace and father of Saint Odile, who was succeeded by his son Adalbert. Under the influence of the Franks, the evangelisation of the country by Irish monks proceeded apace. From the 7th century AD, abbeys were established in the newly colonised areas. The bishop of Strasbourg, Saint Arbogast, had the first cathedral built in the mid-6th century. While the Benedictines consolidated the presence of monasticism in Alsace, rural churches sprung up in the parishes. The Alsace habitat in the early Middle Ages is still not wellknown, but archaeology has revealed a remarkable continuity and density of occupation. The three communities (descendants of the Gallo-Romans, Alemanni and Franks) seem to have coexisted, each living under its own jurisdiction. Our knowledge of Merovingian society is based almost exclusively on excavations of funerary sites. The necropolises were made up of small family units dependent on a rural estate or large cemeteries comprising
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The early Middle Ages
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30 The Hochfelden tomb
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31 Artificially deformed skull
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The early Middle Ages
An expert horsewoman
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Funny face
Medical science has often come to the aid of The museum collection features a strange- looking skull from an adult aged about archaeologists, backing up their hypotheses about the origins and lifestyles of indithirty, showing a strange though deliberviduals. The study of pathologies perceptiate malformation. It was obtained by conble on the bones unearthed in Hochfelden, stantly compressing the skull from the belonging to a woman aged between fifty first years of life while the bones were still and seventy, has revealed the regular and flexible with strips or small struts placed prolonged practice of riding, probably as on either side of the head. We do not a result of her nomadic lifestyle. The know the exact significance of this pracabundant grave goods bespeak of a positice, which was especially prevalent in at tion in the aristocracy of the time; her the very beginning of the Middle Ages clan, who would have come from the eastamong peoples from Eastern European ern steppes and the world of the Huns, regions. It may have been a marker of had most probably been drawn to Alsace social distinction or else the manifestaduring the 5th century AD, forging an allition of a desire to preserve a particular ance with the Roman army, still a source characteristic linked to cultural beginof wealth and power then, to safeguard nings on the margins of the Roman world. the Rhine border from “barbarian” migrations. The pair of silver fibulae placed on 31 Artificially deformed skull her shoulders where they would have fasDachstein, known as Am Geist tened a coat or other garment is charac(excavations G. F. Heintz) teristic of the steppes, as is the necklace, Bones which is similar to models found in 6th century AD Hungary and Austria. 30 The Hochfelden tomb Hochfelden, Lanter tile factory (excavations J.-J. Hatt and H. Zumstein) Jewellery, tableware, garment Various dimensions; necklace: L. 36.9 cm Early 5th century AD
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The early Middle Ages
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Protective powers
Bling-bling
Although Christianity was gradually making inroads thanks to the efforts of missionary monks and the conversion of the elites, superstition remained pervasive among the Merovingian population. For instance, a number of rare and precious materials were thought to possess special protective powers. This was the case for amber, imported from the distant shores of the Baltic Sea, and rock crystal, out of which spherical amulets set in fine silver frames were made. Certain shells from the Medi terranean also acquired a protective function against bad luck or the risks of everyday life. Such amulets were often worn on a long chain attached to the belt or placed in a leather purse hung from it.
Merovingian society was dominated by a warrior elite for whom high-quality weapons and precious jewellery were a component of their social prestige and a symbol of strength and power that could be carried over into the world beyond. To meet demand, the goldsmiths of the early Middle Ages had mastered a variety of techniques, producing extraordinarily elaborate pieces of jewellery: mercury gilding, decoration with gold or silver thread, garnets incrusted in sheets of precious metal and damascening. This original technique entails inlaying metal wire into lines finely incised on an iron plate to produce geometric designs, arabesques or stylised animal figures. Body ornaments, appearing in both men’s and women’s tombs, testify to a striking taste for jewellery in shimmering, contrasting colours. The increasing scarcity of precious stones and metals due to the disruption of trade routes caused by major population migrations led to them being gradually replaced by semi-precious stones and coloured glass paste in the manufacture of ornamental objects.
32 Pendant-amulet Alsace Rock crystal and silver Diam. 3.5 cm 6th century AD
33 Merovingian fibulae Alsace Gold, silver, bronze, garnets 6th–7th century AD
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Archaelogical Museum
HANDBOOK
251812 9 €
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Archaelogical Museum
9 7823 5 1
The Archaeological Museum, founded in the 18th century, is the oldest of all Strasbourg museums. For three centuries of an often-turbulent existence, it gathered together some very large collections. Located since the end of the 19th century in the basement of the Rohan Palace, its variety and large chronological field makes it one of the largest archaeological museums in France. You’ll discover the history of Strasbourg and Alsace from its furthest beginnings during Prehistoric times up until the first centuries of the Middle Ages.
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