Farming instead of hunting
The Linear Pottery in Franconia

At the beginning of December, the Museum of Franconia takes visitors on a journey back to 7500 years ago with the exhibition "Farming instead of Hunting - The Linear Pottery in Franconia", when societies practicing agriculture and animal husbandry migrated to Central Europe for the first time, changing the history of the region forever.

The text panels of the traveling exhibition "A STEP INTO THE FUTURE - we are settling down" by the Bavarian State Office for the Preservation of Monuments form the content framework.

Farming
instead of hunting

Around 7500 years ago, a process took place in Central Europe that would change the history of this region like no other: A community practicing agriculture and animal husbandry migrates from the Carpathian Basin and settles in an area where previously only hunters and gatherers had lived for tens of thousands of years. Not only did they bring their crops and domestic animals with them, they also built permanent houses, cleared forests, laid out fields and, for the first time in history, made lasting and massive changes to nature.
Today's Franconia in particular, with its fertile soils and mild climate, developed into an early settlement center of this culture of arable farmers, which is known as "Linear Pottery" due to its characteristic pottery. The exhibition "Farming instead of hunting - Linear Pottery in Franconia" deals with this exciting and far-reaching process and the associated archaeological finds.

The
exhibition

The exhibition sheds light on the culture of the Linear Pottery from various thematic perspectives, such as house building and settlement methods, agriculture and animal husbandry, crafts as well as cult and beliefs.
The focus is on original finds from this period from the collection of the Museum für Franken. The originals are supplemented and illustrated by numerous reconstructions and interaction stations. In-depth background information on the various topics is provided by the text panels of the touring exhibition "A STEP INTO THE FUTURE - we are settling down" by the Bavarian State Office for the Preservation of Monuments.

At several points in the exhibition, QR codes also link to reports on archaeological excavations at Bandkeramik culture sites in Franconia from the Bavarian Broadcasting Archive.

Supporting program

The Museum für Franken is organizing a colourful supporting programme for the exhibition with family and curator tours, vacation programs and workshops.

Looking back:
A special highlight was the "Night of Science" on January 19, 2024 with top-class lectures on the topic of "Linear Pottery in Franconia". Around 200 guests accepted the invitation, including a number of specialist scientists as well as many volunteers and other archaeology enthusiasts from the region and far beyond. On this evening, they all immersed themselves in the exciting era of Linear Pottery with a varied program.

The evening focused on short presentations by three of the most renowned scientists on Linear Pottery in Central Europe. First, Dr. Joachim Pechtl (University of Innsbruck) gave an introduction to the period 7500 years ago and explained the characteristics of the Franconian find landscape. Prof. Dr. Silviane Scharl (University of Cologne) then shed light on the exchange and transfer networks of the Linear Pottery using the example of flint raw materials. In the third lecture, Prof. Dr. Detlef Gronenborn (University of Mainz / Leibniz Centre for Archaeology) focused on the genetics of the Linear Pottery, the end of their culture and their archaeological and genetic heritage. Finally, the three speakers took questions from the audience in a discussion round.

During the 30-minute breaks between the individual presentations, guests were able to enjoy delicious wraps and drinks. The special exhibition "Farming instead of hunting" and the museum's permanent archaeological exhibition were also open to visitors. In addition, various Bavarian archaeology institutions presented themselves with information stands: The Bavarian State Office for the Preservation of Monuments, the "Vorzeitkiste" of the University of Erlangen, the Institute for Prehistory and Early History of the University of Bamberg and the Society for Archaeology in Bavaria, which also supported the event financially.

In addition to this diverse offering, the guests also took the opportunity to talk to each other, network and chat. In particular, the rare opportunity for an exchange between experts and those interested in archaeology was perceived as very enriching by both sides.

Due to the positive response, the Museum für Franken is also planning a "Long Night of Science" on an archaeological theme for next year.

Tip: Anyone who was unable to attend the Long Night need not be sad, as the lectures can be watched on our YouTube channel!