Classical Archaeology

 EU-Peace-Project ‘Our Cultural Heritage - The Basis of Our House Europe’

The archaeological departments of the universities of Marburg (geoarchaeology), Giessen (classical archaeology), Comillas (landscape archaeology), Mostar (Roman archaeology) and Sarajevo (remote sensing) have joined forces for the EU-Peace project ‘Our Cultural Heritage - The Basis of Our House Europe’ in order to train students at an international level in the conservation and management of cultural heritage.

Through joint courses, workshops and summer and spring schools conducted in English, the program will teach and test approaches and practices of cultural heritage conservation and management on both theoretical and practical levels. The practical training will involve applying traditional excavation and conservation methods, as well as learning innovative digital techniques, which will be taught in the field during ongoing excavations.

The programme will begin in spring 2025 with a Spring School at excavation sites in Sarajevo and Mostar. Participation in the Spring School 2025 is limited to three participants per university; expressions of interest are invited.

 Collaboration with the University of Southern Queensland (Australia)

Global collaboration in university teaching encourages students to engage with peers from other countries and cultures, allowing them to acquire new methodological knowledge and skills through interdisciplinary exchange. However, such collaboration is not usually integrated into formal university curricula. Well-designed global collaborative online learning not only changes the forms of learning but also enhances students' communication skills and intercultural awareness.

To strengthen students' intercultural and collaborative abilities, facilitate new learning experiences, and build interdisciplinary academic networks, JLU's Classical Archaeology Department is partnering with the archaeology and anthropology departments at the University of Southern Queensland (Australia). Joint teaching formats are being developed to enrich the curricula of both universities and to connect students. Additionally, we are exploring options for student exchanges. The first joint course is expected to be offered in the summer semester of 2025.

We Are Looking for Buddies for the Mentoring Programme

The Classical Archaeology Buddy Programme pairs first-year students in the winter semester 2024/25 with a buddy who is in a higher semester. The buddy helps new students find their way around JLU and, most importantly, assists them in navigating their studies in Classical Archaeology. The buddy serves as the primary contact for any questions and challenges related to studying during the first semester. Buddies can contribute their experience and will receive a certificate for their voluntary work at the end of the semester.

The aim of the Buddy Programme is to give first-year students a good start in their studies and foster a sense of community.

We are organizing a brunch for first-year students in the Department of Classical Archaeology on Friday, 11 October 2024, from 10 a.m. to 2 p.m. during the introductory week. We would be delighted if, in addition to the buddies, other students also attended, so that first-semester students can make initial contacts and ask questions. You are all cordially invited!

If you are interested in the Buddy Programme, please contact us by 15 September.

Exhibition "Spuren der Vergangenheit"

The Giessen Collection of Classical Antiquities gained a prestigious architectural setting when it relocated to the new Ludoviciana University building (now the main university building in Ludwigsstraße), which opened in 1880. Occupying over 300 square meters of the foyer and two windowed halls, alongside the Institute of Archaeology, the collection attracted both university audiences and external visitors, highlighting the high value placed on object-related academic teaching at the time.

During the university building's remodeling in 1940, the plaster cast collection was transferred to a "sculpture hall" (now the Senate Hall) above the newly constructed vestibule to the large auditorium. Despite being heavily damaged during the air raid on Giessen on December 6, 1944, remnants of the once-extensive teaching collection remain, albeit poorly documented.

The Phoenix VR project endeavors to digitally reconstruct the lost collection's original layout in virtual space using 3D models, aiming to revive its historical impact. This exhibition marks the project's commencement and aims to engage Giessen citizens interactively in the project's development.

Where: Oberhessisches Museum, Altes Schloss, Am Brandplatz 2, 35390 Giessen.