International Day of Archaeology 2023

21.10.2023

We invite you to the International Day of Archaeology.

GODS AND DEMONS. MAGIC AND RITUALS IN THE LATER PREHISTORY.

October 21, 2023, 12 – 6 PM, free entry.

The Regional Museum and Gallery in Most is preparing an interesting program for the general public – children and adults – for this year's celebration of the International Day of Archaeology. Every year, it is a unique opportunity to learn about history in an entertaining way.

This year, the museum staff focused on religion in the later prehistory and early historical period. Visitors will be able to meet a Celtic druid in a small settlement from the La Tène period and learn in an entertaining way what modern science knows about Celtic religion and its role in everyday life. In the Germanic settlement, it will be possible to discover what the religion of the ancient Germans was like during the reign of the Marcomanni in our territory. Visitors will learn about the role of rituals and magic in the daily life of the Germans and find out that the first runes were not just a script. In the section dedicated to the Romans, visitors will participate in an important ceremony in the life of a Roman youth on the threshold of adulthood and will be able to transition from the world of children to the world of adults with him. They will also learn about the religious duties of a Roman father as the head of his family, and which duties belonged to his Roman wife. Furthermore, they will be able to discover which Roman god was born in a cave on December 24 and why this date was a public holiday even during the reign of pagan Roman emperors.

For the first time, tombstones from the archaeological survey of the Nesvětice site near Mariánské Radčice, which were recently transported to the museum grounds, will be presented to the public.

Two new exhibitions will be opened - Paths to Prehistory / Zdeněk Burian and the free association of artists PAS (Paleoart) and the exhibition by Katrin Buttig - Slavic Gods and Demons.

This year's MDA will again include a series of fun activities focused on creativity. The youngest visitors will be able to make a prehistoric jewelry, paint a cave painting, or model their own prehistoric Venus, play period games, try archery, face painting, and learn about runes. (program below)

The program will culminate at 5 PM with a demonstration of a ritual for the upcoming Celtic holiday Samhain, followed by a ritual of Roman Mithraic mysteries.

The Most International Day of Archaeology is part of the worldwide celebrations of MDA announced and organized by Harvard University in the USA. The International Day of Archaeology is a celebration of this science, which is so important for understanding our past.

Ongoing program from 12 – 6 PM:

- 12:00 - entry to the grounds

- 12:30 - Opening of the International Day of Archaeology

- 13:00 – Opening of the exhibition by Katrin Buttig – Slavic Gods and Demons

- 15:00 – Fashion show from the Iron Age

- 16:00 – Tombstones from Nesvětice – guided tour by archaeologist P. Vágner

- 17:00 – Ritual for the upcoming Celtic holiday SAMHAIN (All Souls' Day)

- 17:30 – Roman ritual of Mithraic mysteries

Stations in the museum grounds:

- Celtic village

- Germanic village

- Roman family

- Medieval kitchen

- Grinding grain on a Celtic millstone

- Tombstones from Nesvětice

- Archery at a target

- Face painting

- Making jewelry from natural materials

- Cave paintings - painting rock drawings

- Rune stones

- Making prehistoric pottery

- Medieval and prehistoric games

- Screening - medieval glass

- Exhibition of paintings Paths to Prehistory. Zdeněk Burian and members of the free association of artists PAS

- Exhibition by Katrin Buttig Slavic Gods and Demons

- Café On the Street

- Refreshments

- 18:00 - end of the event

In case of bad weather, part of the outdoor program will be moved indoors to the OMGM building. Program changes reserved.

Event curator: Mgr. Jiří Šlajsna historian, archaeologist