The new catalogue of the Archaeological Museum of the University of Münster is heavyweight not only in the literal but also in the figurative sense. On 400 pages, the editors Prof. Achim Lichtenberger and Dr Helge Nieswandt have picked out their ‘favourite pieces’ from the museum and created a representative selection from the 7,000 artefacts and 10,000 coins, almost 500 casts, the 26 models of ancient sites and monuments, 221 holograms and the collection of 5,100 shards. The authors include university lecturers and, in particular, advanced students from Münster who have worked on selected pieces.

The catalogue is structured strictly chronologically in order to emphasise the interconnectedness of the cultures and break down traditional disciplinary boundaries. The individual contributions present the antiquities in their significance and relevance in a scientifically accurate yet generally understandable way. The oldest exhibits include vessels and a human figurine from the so-called Cucuteni-Trypillia culture, which existed in the Copper Age between around 4500 and 3600 BC. The most recently described piece is a copy of a large cup with two handles from around 520 B.C. The museum once also housed the original, which the first Olympic marathon champion and Greek national hero Spyridon Louis received after his victory. When the museum management realised how important the cup was for the Greek state, it was returned to Greece as a gift in 2019.

The catalogue is dedicated to Karl Lehmann-Hartleben (1894-1960), who was appointed Professor of Classical Archaeology at the University of Münster in 1929, where he was also Director of the Archaeological Museum. In 1933, he was dismissed on the basis of the ‘Law for the Restoration of the Professional Civil Service’ due to his Jewish descent and went to Italy, from where he emigrated to the USA with his family in 1935 and was able to build a new academic career at New York University.

‘Lieblingsstücke’, ed. Achim Lichtenberger/Helge Nieswandt, 400 pages with 554 illustrations, 29 euros, available from the Archaeological Museum and the Nünnerich-Asmus publishing house.