Chair of Pre-
and Protohistory, University of Leipzig Prehistoric
archaeology in Leipzig
The University of Leipzig, second oldest university in
Germany, was founded in 1409 - l ong before archaeological
artefacts became object of public interest . This only
happened in the 18 th century, but the first interest focussed
on classical antiquity. One of the pioneers of prehistoric
archaeology came from Saxony: Earl Johann Friedrich von
Dallwitz (1742-1796), who excavated an Urnfield on his
estates in Königswartha and eternalised it in a splendid
volume. As a university discipline in Saxony - like in
most other German regions - prehistoric archaeology was
established much later. Albeit first efforts in the late
1920ies, the chair of Pre- and Protohistory was founded
in 1934, within the context of the science policy in the
"Third Reich". The chair was provided with considerable
funds to promote the German "Ostforschung" , which
was expected to scientifically legitimate the Eastern expansion
of Nazi-Germany. The first chair holder became Kurt Tackenberg,
who immediately began to set up a teaching collection.
The basis of this collection was formed by older inventories
from the 18 th and 19 th century, for example by the collection
of the venerable " Deutsche Gesellschaft zur
Erforschung vaterländischer Sprache und Altertümer" (German
Society for Research on the German Language and Antiquities).
In the Second World War the institute was badly damaged.
Reopend in 1949, the institute couldn't regain its importance
within the centralisation policy of the GDR. As a consequence
of the general reorganisation of the East German universities
the chair lost its autonomy in 1968. Only in 1993, after
the German Reuinfication, a new Chair of Pre- and Protohistory
was established as a part of the historical departement
of the University of Leipzig.
It's resear ch focusses both on the European Iron Age
and on the history of archaeology. In 1995 the institute
began its acitvity in the excavations of the Centre
Archéologique Européen (CAE) du Mont Beuvray in the
celtic Oppidum of Bibracte (Burgundy). Since 2005
we examine in cooperation with the CAE in the framework
of the EU's Culture 2000 programme "Les premieres villes
européenes" not only the archaeology of the Oppida
but also the history of their exploration. While fortifications
have so far been given priority in reconstructing the political
and national or nationalistic history, another project
examines " The hillforts research in Saxony and
eastern Central Europe between 1927 and 1995. Objectives
and methods of 20th century archaeology". All studies
focus on questions concerning the role of archaeological
sources in the construction of tradition and identity as
well as the interaction between the history of the subject
and political and social history.
Power and Politics in the history of
German archaeological collections in the 19 th and
20 th century
Within the AREA-project we intend to investigate the history
of archaeological collections in Germany, with special emphasis
on their political and social context in the period from
c. 1815 until 1945. It is claimed that - due to their important
role in the dialogue between professional archaeologists
and a wider public - collections are especially susceptible
to the instrumentalization for political purposes. To verify
this assumption collections from the following former or
present regions of Germany will be examined: Schleswig-Holstein,
the Rhineland, Baden-Wuerttemberg, Silesia and Brandenburg
with Berlin. Especially border regions are taken into acount,
because in these areas the upheavals of history generally
become more visible. The chosen period of time enables us
to follow the history of archaeological collections over
different political systems and thus to reveal ideological
continuities and ruptures in the collecting practice. For
this purpose from each selected region two or three collections
will be investigated. The chosen examples represent different
types of archaeological collections, such as princely collections,
private collections, collections of antiquarian associations,
university collections, 'Heimatmuseen' (museums of local
history), regional museums and central museums. We will investigate
in which way different (financial) dependencies and purposes
led to a more or less intensive influence by politics and
current events. The aim of the study is not to write "biographies"
of single collections but to display the historical development
of the different types of collections and to outline the
general trends of archaeological collecting in Germany.
