Passion for Bronze
Late Neolithic and Early Bronze Age
ca. 2800 to 1550 BC
Copper, gold, and bronze – the dawning age of metals causes a shine in the display cases of the fourth exhibition section. These and other coveted goods, such as salt, tin, and amber, set the entire old European world in motion with the transition from the Stone Age to the Bronze Age.
The independent copper and gold working at the end of the Stone Age was driven by innovations that poured into central Europe from many directions on the continent.
Wide exchange networks of coveted goods as well as the control of trade routes and resources formed the basis of development of increasingly hierarchical communities. In our region in particular, the rich hoard finds and the chieftain’s tombs testify to a society in a ›passion for bronze‹, whose elite drew their identity from wealth, power, and knowledge.
The deposition of the Nebra Sky Disc marks the demise of this age.
Closure and remodelling of the ›Passion for Bronze‹ section
From 5 August 2024, the ›Passion for Bronze‹ section (room 7) in the State Museum will be closed to the public – extensive renovation work is taking place in this section until presumably mid-2025. Access to the Nebra Sky Disc is still possible. We ask for your understanding.
