On a journey to the afterlife in a tank car
This was the Long Night of Science 2026

The third "Long Night of Science" on January 30, 2026 at the Museum für Franken in Würzburg was an exciting and entertaining evening, and not just for those interested in archaeology. This time, the focus was on the Late Bronze Age - and therefore, as organizer and presenter Benjamin Spies emphasized, "two absolute highlights of our collection": the Acholshausen cauldron wagon and the hoard finds from Bullenheimer Berg.

Around 230 guests followed the presentations on site at Marienberg Fortress, with up to 80 more taking part in the event for the first time via a live stream.

Professors Frank Falkenstein (University of Würzburg), Carola Metzner-Nebelsick (LMU Munich) and Thomas Terberger (University of Göttingen) are three renowned experts on the period between 1300 and 800 BC. They presented their current research on various aspects of the Late Bronze Age in compact short lectures.

Prof. Frank Falkenstein kicked things off with a presentation on the significance of Late Bronze Age hilltop settlements in Franconia, based on the Bullenheimer Berg. A particular focus here was on their role in supra-regional long-distance trade.

The second lecture focused on the famous Acholshausen cauldron wagon. Prof. Carola Metzner-Nebelsick used this extraordinary find as a starting point for her reflections on the religious beliefs of the late Bronze Age.

Finally, Prof. Thomas Terberger took the audience to the Tollensetal valley in Mecklenburg-Western Pomerania. There, around 1250 BC, a violent conflict took place with many deaths, in which fighters from southern Germany were apparently also involved.

In the concluding discussion round, the speakers emphasized how closely the Late Bronze Age societies of Europe were already networked through trade and exchange. In this way, not only goods but also beliefs spread across large parts of the continent, while conflicts increasingly took on a supra-regional dimension.

The guests were also offered a varied supporting program outside of the lectures. During the breaks, the Society for Archaeology in Bavaria, the Archaeological Spessart Project, the excavation company Archäologische Dienstleistungen Wolff and the Friends of Franconian Art and History presented themselves with information and exhibition stands. Information designers Julian Grein and Bjarne Hausschildt, with whom the museum is currently developing a PC game, were also guests. In this game, players can gain an insight into the working world of archaeology as an intern at the museum.

If you missed the evening or would like to watch the lectures again, you can find them on the Museum für Franken's YouTube channel.