International Day of Archaeology 2021

4.10.2021 - 16.10.2021

International Day of Archaeology

On Saturday, October 16, 2021, the fifth International Day of Archaeology (IDA) will take place at the Regional Museum and Gallery in Most. After previous years focused on the archaeology of World War II, the La Tène period, and the Roman period, this time we will move through several historical periods.

The main part of the program will be dedicated to the Middle Ages. Visitors to the Regional Museum and Gallery in Most will be able to travel back 600 years to the time when the Prague Hussite Union besieged the town of Most and the Hněvín Castle, thanks to the Civitas Pragensis association. This group focuses on the reconstruction of military and everyday life in the environment of the Old Town of Prague during the Hussite Wars. Visitors will have the opportunity to meet the inhabitants of medieval Prague, Most, and the warriors of the Prague Hussite community. There will also be a popular historical fashion show, this time from the Hussite period.

Another part of the program will be dedicated to the Bronze Age and experimental archaeology. The task for visitors will be to create a replica of a prehistoric boat known as a monoxyl, using only technologies from the Bronze Age. Visitors participating in this experiment will learn about the techniques of making prehistoric boats and new archaeological findings about river and maritime navigation during the Bronze Age in Central, Northern, and Western Europe. We anticipate that after completion, the boat made by visitors will be ceremonially launched and tested on Most Lake during one of the following weekends.

Both small and large visitors can look forward to a variety of other activities. Attendees will be able to try their hand at an early medieval quern and bake authentic bread cakes from the flour they grind themselves. They can also try to start a fire using a replica of a Slavic fire-starting kit or create their own prehistoric or early medieval jewelry. While making it, they will learn more about Slavic gods, mythology, and magic. The youngest visitors will be able to build a small replica of a Slavic village, thus discovering more about the building techniques and living conditions of our ancestors. Visitors can learn about the work of a blacksmith and swordsmith at the KovexArs company, where they will also be able to purchase some products. This demonstration will also include a small exhibition of replicas of early medieval armor and weaponry produced by this company. The youngest will again be able to try their hand at the art of prehistoric artists by creating cave paintings, and visitors will also have the chance to engage in the popular crafting of stone and bone tools. Refreshments will be provided by Café Franz.

This year's IDA program is organized in collaboration with the Regional Museum and Gallery in Most, the Archaeological Institute of the Academy of Sciences, KovexArs, and the Secondary School of Diplomacy and Public Administration s.r.o. The International Day of Archaeology is supported by the Statutory City of Most.

Program subject to change. Admission is voluntary.

Contact for journalists: Jiří Šlajsna, +420 724 537 769, slajsna.jomgm.cz